Avatar - Beachhead
by Claire Danielle
Summary: It's been fifteen years since the RDA were forced from Pandora, the RDA has a new strategy to take back Hell's gate and mine Unobtainium. Sgt James Morgan is about to learn that being the driver of a female Avatar body wasn't a joke after all. Pandora will lead him to discover not only who he is but the ugly truth behind the RDA's plans. Question is will he survive with his sanity.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One: The only way is down**.

Na'vi (_Italics_)

English (Normal)

Thanks to Sleethr and Djkauf for their invaluable assistance.

20-SEP-2169: ISV0014 Leviathan in Geosync Orbit: Alpha Centauri A: Gas giant Polyphemus: Near the moon of Pandora

Cryotech Specialist Michael Ryans checked his schedule for the twentieth time.

He was slightly behind schedule and needed to make up time with reviving the meat Popsicles. He checked the name on his list against the name on the readout.

"Yep, Sergeant Morgan, James, serial number 929342 is next." He muttered to himself as he entered the revival command into the control pad on the cryo chamber.

"Urg" My tongue felt like a dusty wash rag and not a clean one either as I began to stir from my extended nap in cryosleep. I was in two minds about this mission, part of me was excited, the other terrified; hell every mission had risks but nothing like those on Pandora. I could hardly believe I had been sleeping in cryo for the past six years since being assigned to this mission. Pandora, they say Hell's a vacation spot compared to it. A wild untamed world, where nearly everything wants to kill or eat you, sometimes both.

Of course we've all heard the horror stories, most people think the stories are just that, not me, as far as I'm concerned and until I learn otherwise, I was going to be ready for anything. My contract was for six months and after that, I was done. I'd been a marine long enough to know that I needed to leave before the job killed me.

It wasn't as though there was much choice of career, further education was out; my parents weren't exactly wealthy. Don't get me wrong we weren't poor either, but further education was out for me. I let my sister have what our parents saved for me. Hell, she was the smart one; the one who had the drive to succeed. That drive allowed her to study xenobiology and get a good job, something not many can do on Earth.

To allow that to happen for my sister, I joined the US Marine Corps, semper fi, straight out of school. I did the required tours that let me _'enjoy'_ several conflicts including Venezuela and Zimbabwe just to name two. Earth sucked and people sucked even more. After what I saw in Venezuela, I wanted out. So, I signed my name in blood and joined the Resources Development Administration, or RDA, in the hopes of joining a team going to Pandora. I'd grown up with stories of Pandora and regardless of the danger, I was fascinated.

I volunteered for this mission for several reasons. First and foremost was obviously for the pay. Second, was for the education benefits. Sure, the Corp had some education benefits, but nothing like the benefits of the RDA. The RDA provided a full ride through one of their highly rated universities. The third and largest incentive to join the RDA in my line of work was for the medical. Unlike the U.S. Marines, the RDA would regrow your legs if they got blown off and that was very important to me. I did not want to end up in a wheel chair. Finally, I wanted to see something other than Earth. It should not come as a surprise that the discovery of Pandora and its exotically beautiful and humanoid people, the Na'vi, had excited people back home.

The discovery of the rare mineral, Unobtainium on Pandora paradoxically fuelled both the greed and the protective nature of humanity. The RDA wanted to mine the Unobtainium without restriction while many people on earth wanted to make sure that the Na'vi were protected from the greedy RDA. Thus, the Interplanetary Commerce Administration, or ICA was grudgingly tasked by the UN with insuring that the RDA abided by the treaty that limited weapons of mass destruction and the use of military force against the primitive and mostly peaceful Na'vi. That worked well until several hundred soldiers and personnel arrived back from Pandora after being evicted by the natives, the Na'vi.

It was a few years until a new mission to Pandora could be planned. It took that long for the public to forget how badly the RDA screwed up. Now, the new and improved, yeah right, RDA had a new mission to Pandora and I was stupid enough to volunteer to help create the beachhead they needed to 'peacefully' retake Pandora. Has there ever been a peaceful recapture of previously lost ground?

"You okay there, Sergeant Morgan?" The Specialist asked, looking concerned as he politely tapped me on my arm.

I assumed that he was more worried about me going into shock from the cryosleep treatment than about my state of mind. His touch roused me from my reverie. "Yeah, sorry. I assume that we've arrived?" I asked.

He politely grinned at my statement of the obvious. "Yes sir, we've just established geosynchronous orbit around Polyphemus."

I floated up as the Specialist released the restraints holding me down; zero-G is a pain in the ass when you're still drowsy from cryo. I let the "sir" insult go. I felt too out of it to remind him that I worked for a living. After I retrieved a fresh kit from my locker, I swiftly made my way to the head to shit, shower and shave in time for the briefing. Twenty minutes later, I felt human enough to make my way to the already packed briefing room.

"Glad you could make the time to join us, Sergeant Morgan." Colonel Hackwork said, sarcastically as I entered the briefing room. The others in the room smirked at my misfortune.

Asshole. I hated him already. He had to know that I was one of the last ones woken from Cryosleep and that the techs were behind schedule.

"Yes sir, sorry sir." I said as I played the game and nodded acceptance of his rebuke while I navigated to an open seat next to my old platoon buddy, Ramirez. Six months. I repeated that mantra to myself. Six months and I was done with the bullshit, forever.

"Don't worry about the old man; he's had a stick up his ass since he woke up." Ramirez said with a conspiratorial whisper as I took the seat next to him.

"Somethin' ya care to share there, Corporal Ramirez?" Colonel Hackwork asked.

"Er… no sir."

"Then pay attention, as I was saying, you will be some of the first people back on Pandora. Your primary objective is to find a way to secure the Hell's gate command complex." Colonel Hackwork aimed his laser pointer at the map of the Area of Operations displayed on the primary screen. "The Intel we have at this point indicates the area directly around the command site is inhabited by the natives, the…Na'vi." He said with a note disdain.

Colonel Hackwork manipulated the map until it zoomed in on the command center. "According to satellite surveillance, the complex is shut down. We assume the natives led by Sully shut it down when the RDA occupying forces were expelled, with this in mind, command has decided we stand a better chance of several of you infiltrating the command complex as individuals rather than in teams."

"Corporate would have liked to carpet bomb Pandora and put an end to this silly conflict. However, as news of Pandora is so widespread and with the UN and ICA treaties prohibiting the use of such weapons, the bigwigs at Corporate decided that would cause a lot of bad publicity, especially after the last mission group was forced off world by the Natives becoming restless." Colonel Hackwork said with an expression that plainly displayed his disdain for our political shackles.

"If only the natives looked more inhuman..." Colonel Hackwork said, muttering just loud enough for the room to hear him as he shook his head with regret. "Sadly, both the UN and ICA has set up a special committee to monitor our actions and make sure this mission doesn't become another Cluster-fuck. Too many research divisions within governments and the RDA are hoping to get back on Pandora; those are the people who write your pay checks, so make every effort to complete your primary objective."

"Your secondary objective is to secure any RDA outpost you come across, if you cannot secure it you are to destroy it, last thing we need is the enemy using our outposts against us. Make no mistake people, this will be a guerrilla style operation, you hit them hard and fast and then you get the hell out of Dodge. The more damage and confusion you create the better."

I elected to keep my thoughts on that last order to myself because there was no way in hell that I was about to commit virtual suicide. I would like to see the gung ho asshole try the old hit 'em hard 'n fast thing himself. Getting the Na'vi all riled up was the last thing we needed to accomplish. That would only make things harder for everyone. Me, I intended to make like a ghost and not be seen by anyone. Complete my assigned mission, do my six months and out. No muss, no fuss.

He changed slides to display a schematic for the Mark four single manned Deep Reconnaissance Operations Psionic Personal Operator Deployment vehicles, Drop Pod for short, I wondered if they had a whole department working to name this shit. Although, I think we were all a bit shocked to realise that our human bodies would be living in that death trap for the next six months.

"These pods are all equipped with sonic repellers, this is to keep away the wildlife while you get mobile, I have been informed that linking to your Avatar can be...disorienting. The sensations will be unusual and it will take time to become accustomed to them. I mention this as those in single pods will not have support and you will need to be aware and make allowances for that."

Disorienting? What in the hell does he mean? Am I going to be stumbling around like a drunk for the first minute or two? That might be survivable, but what if that "disorientation" that he so casually mentioned is longer?

"Some of you will be in teams of two in the Mark five version in the hopes you can support each other. The Sonic Repellers are included in your pods to but we hope being there for each other will help get you moving quicker. Be aware this arrangement of human male driving a female Avatar and vice versa has never been attempted." He paused as everyone in the room shifted uncomfortably in their seat. "Yes, I know, at times it will be stressful, but you need to keep focused on your mission objectives."

This was actually the first time that we had all seen the Pods, as Command preferred to call them, but to me, they looked more like coffins. Nothing but a smooth black tube with tracks on the side. No ports or visible hatches that we could look out of during our 'vacation'. Not that we would need to look outside since our Avatar body would be outside acting as our eyes and ears, but the thought of being trapped in that tin can was still a bit unnerving. That morbid thought almost made me miss what Colonel Hackwork had to say next about our mission.

"These pods will contain enough food, water, ammo and medical supplies to last six months on your own, be aware the single pods are 4 meters by 2 meters, cylindrical self contained units, to help you move them they have continuous tracks, the team pods are 4 meters by 4 meters, neither pod type has much room but team pods will be inserted further from the target area or populated zones."

There was a muttering that rippled through the room.

"Quiet people listen up! Once on the ground you are to immediately roll your pod and move it to a location where it can be camouflaged. Once it is secure you are to begin reconnaissance. Don't take unnecessary risks people, there are enough hazards on Pandora without you creating more, so stay low, keep off the enemy radar."

"When you have a definite opening then take it but don't get cocky. To gain a foothold we need that facility, to get that facility we need you… alive, any questions?"

A marine at the front raised his hand.

"Jacobs?"

"Sir, Ahh, I was wondering about the reason why we're going to be driving avatars of the opposite sex, sir?"

The colonel scanned the faces with disdain. "Did you not read the reports from the last mission to Pandora fifteen years ago?"

There were sounds around the room of people confirming those that had.

The colonel sighed "If you read the reports you'd realize we lost the fight with the Na'vi because one of our own decided he liked the native tail better than his own people's women. If he'd done his job and kept his dick in his pants we wouldn't be having his lovely little chat. Sully cost us a great deal, many good men and women died that day, as well as losing us the resources we were mining."

The last line with Sully's name was ground out in anger; the Colonel paused trying to get his anger under control, shaking his head he continued.

"To put it bluntly Jacobs, as a man do you plan on getting all warm an' cosy with a native Na'vi male?"

"Ah, fuck...Hell No!" Jacobs exclaimed looking sick at the mere thought; I had to agree that there was no way I'd even contemplate that.

"An' that's why you get to be all feminine like. Until you start painting your toenails and getting all goo-goo eyed over pictures of kittens, I wouldn't let it bother you. Just do your jobs."

There were snigger's all around the room.

"Any more obvious questions?" The colonel glanced around the room as if daring someone to ask another dumb question. "No, then the advance wave of pods is due to drop at oh six hundred. Check with Lieutenant Simmonds to verify your drop time. Dismissed!"

I watched as those assembled began to disperse after checking their scheduled drop times with the lieutenant.

"Hey Sarge, when they told us there'd be plenty of women, bet you never thought you'd be one of them?" Ramirez said as if the idea of being a blue alien chick was just Command's idea of a funny joke.

"Stow it, Ramirez." I said, feeling annoyed with his attitude. Yeah, Ramirez and I go way back. I could count on him to watch my back, but the f'ing planet and its damned aliens were dangerous enough, that I did not need his jokes right now.

The idea of spending time up to my neck in shit, as some blue alien chick had to be the f'ing brain fart of some idiot pencil pushing asshat with more brains than combat experience. Just how in the Hell does command expect a bunch of men and women to pass themselves off as native Na'vi men and women of the opposite sex? Did the tinselled idiots upstairs even think about that little detail before they approved this cluster-fuck of an operational plan?

"Sergeant, you're in the first group." I looked up only to realize that, other than the lieutenant, I was the last to leave.

"See you in a few hours, Lieutenant."

"Go grab some chow; you'll be enjoying MRE's soon enough."

I considered the Lieutenant's words as I floated in the direction of the mess, one of the only areas of the ship that always has gravity. I noticed several others huddled together and wondered if like me they would be first down. MRE's might not be great but if for any reason we're on Pandora longer than six months, we might end up eating bugs let alone MRE's.

I shuddered from the thought and was brought from my musing by the mess Sergeant.

"Hey Sarge, what can I get you?"

I looked at my choices and considered asking for an MRE when I saw Tapioca.

"I'll have the stew followed by some fruit salad."

I've always hated fried foods; most RDA soldiers will pack away a ton of fried food a day, and then wonder why they're fat and unhealthy. If the food doesn't kill you it'll slow you down enough so that something else can.

I sat by myself as I slowly ate whilst contemplating what I was about to do. I never considered what it would be like to be female. I can honestly admit that the idea never once crossed my 100% all male mind. Yet now, I find I cannot get the f'ing alien concept out of my head. To make matters worse, none of us have even been allowed to see the Na'vi avatar that we will be occupying for the next six months.

Just one more indication, that the idiots who came up with this '_brilliant_' fucking idea could not find their way out of an empty room without a fucking GPS. No, we will have to jump straight in and learn via on the job training, and even worse, the f'ing link units have been changed. We will be in our avatar 24/7 for nearly full duration while our real bodies are fed intravenously. Hell, I can't even step outside to take a piss like a real man

The new nourishment system allows a driver to spend long periods driving the avatar before they need to wake. From what I'd been told, the only reason to wake occasionally was to exercise to prevent muscle degradation, even that is aided by muscle stimulation systems built into the link unit.

If nothing else it'll give me chance to be me again, I can't even imagine what it'll be like to be female twenty four/seven, at least there's no chance I'll go native, not if it means being a female.

After finishing my meal, I head to collect my kit bag so I could make my way to the designated hanger for first drop. I'm feeling nervous now, my guts are churning, I wish I'd not eaten. Too late now, I doubt the colonel will let me miss this drop.

"Sergeant, good to see you're on time," came from the colonel as I entered the launch bay.

I saluted and came to attention as he continued.

"You've been assigned pod three, inside you'll find everything you'll need to complete your mission, your tablet contains everything from topographical maps to the security codes needed to enter the command complex, you'll also find all data we have at this current time on enemy movements. Keep it safe, sergeant, it'll most likely save your life, be aware it's been designed with the Avatars' size in mind."

Save my life, my ass, I wondered if the colonel believes the stories about Pandora, judging from his advice, I seriously doubted it.

"One other thing marine, if you cross paths with Jake Sully, he is to be considered a target of opportunity, understand?"

"Sir, yes sir." I said as I considered exactly what the Colonel was asking me to do, should Sully cross my path, I was to use extreme force to remove him. Thing is I remember Jake from way back, we served together in Venezuela, the idea of killing him did not sit well with me. I at least wanted to know why he betrayed us and went native.

"Good now go and strap yourself in, the shuttle will leave in thirty minutes."

I saluted before making my way into the Valkyrie shuttle to find pod three. Since I was in the first wave, my pod was easy to find. As I entered the pod, I found myself looking at the Amnio tank containing the Avatar I would be driving. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but a giant blue version of my sister was not it.

That was when I really realized this thing, this blue alien chick, was made from my DNA, it was part of me and I was not sure how comfortable that I was about that. I felt even more uncomfortable by the fact that I was fighting an erection while I studied what was going to be me in just a few hours. Her body, I mean, my body, was extremely attractive in an exotic kind of way and I could almost understand why Jake Sully turned traitor and went native.

Those thoughts troubled me on multiple fronts because maybe the idiots were right about the gender switch thing. I could not imagine myself or any of my buddies falling for some Na'vi prince like Jake Sully did for his Na'vi princess. I distracted myself from those troubling ideas with my pre-combat routine of double checking all my equipment. After all, it was that equipment that I would have to depend on to survive on the hostile alien world below.

It did not take long to do the checks on my gear and get all my kit squared away. I prepared to enter my Psionic Link unit. Unlike the old Link Units, this Link Unit was designed for several functions. It would cushion and secure my body during the drop and after the drop, and it would link me to my avatar, finally it would keep my human body fed and watered whilst removing waste.

I had to be completely naked while in the Link unit, I shivered as I stripped hoping I'd be in my Avatar body when the Link unit automatically connected the feeding and waste systems. Based upon my first briefing on Earth, as soon as I was down, the Amnio tank would drain and I would immediately be linked to my Avatar.

Once that was done, I would need to hide my pod, last thing I needed was for a native to locate it and kill my real body. The drop pod had some auto defences, but I could not count on those to keep me alive because if the secondary defence systems were activated, it meant that my cover was probably blown. My survival and mission success depended on my pod remaining well hidden and undiscovered by the Na'vi. If I had known that I would end up as a blue alien clone of my sister; I would have refused this mission. I should have learned my lesson about volunteering for crap when I enlisted in the Marines.

I'm jolted from my thoughts as I feel the shuttle leave the bay, I feel a weird sense of calm come over me, I guess it's because there's no turning back now, this is it. It's do or die time, kill or be killed, there's no point in worrying over what I can't change.

The trip by shuttle feels like an eternity, I feel every vibration of the ship as it goes through atmospheric turbulence, at least I hope that's what it is. Suddenly I feel like I've been shot out of a gun, I brace knowing my pod's been launched and I'll soon be somewhere on the ground. The pods are designed to withstand a crash but, God, I felt sick.

Just as I feel the pod hitting the ground my world turned upside down as I was pulled from my own mind, everything was blurry as I open my eyes. I panic as a glass chamber comes into focus and I realize I'm inside it. I close my eyes and calm my breathing as the chamber begins to open to the outside.

As I open my eyes I get my first glimpse of Pandora's surface, my breath catches as I realize there are trees, lots of trees and plants of all kinds. I shake my head wondering with such a wealth of life why the brass wants a rock. I guess it all comes down to money.

As I stare out, I began to realize things feel really weird, I brace myself and look down knowing what I'll find but dreading it anyway. My Avatar body is naked, I do a quick inventory, two arms with fingers check, breasts check, I'm not going to even contemplate what's between my legs right now, two legs with feet and toes and a tail…, a tail! Damn, I'd forgotten about that.

I clumsily crawl from the Amnio tank and into bright sunlight, it's amazing. On Earth there is a huge amount of pollution in the air, we have trees and plants but nothing that really compares with the wilds of Pandora, many forests and jungles were destroyed in the name of progress, wealthier people live in homes which have air purifying systems that keep the air clean. Sadly, polluted air gets dumped outside of those homes, and the general population, unfortunately, has to suffer that pollution.

To see clear skies and breathe clean air is amazing, I take a moment to just enjoy being able to breathe, I feel the gentle wind and the sunlight that breaks through the canopy of the tree's. Checking my surrounding I find myself deep in the jungle with no one around; I quickly find the hatch on the side of the pod that has my clothes and weapons. After donning a sports bra, tank top and combat pants I load my sidearm and look to covering up the pod.

After closing the Amnio tank I roll the pod and use my tablet computer to guide the pod to a fallen tree nearby, it takes me a good hour to conceal the pod, primarily because the Avatar body is so different from my human one. I can't count the times I stubbed a toe or hit my head before I began to get accustomed to this body.

The tracks the pod made while moving it were the hardest to conceal, fortunately landing in dense jungle provided enough plant life to cover the tracks making it appear that large animals passed through. Eventually, I finished camouflaging the pod and its tracks. With that mission accomplished, I took time out to eat. The MRE wasn't pleasant to eat; I can only assume it was due to my Avatar's taste buds being more sensitive.

Judging by the sun's position it was about midday and I did not have time to waste. I grabbed the armour and weapons designed for my Avatar and headed out for a quick recon of the immediate area. I felt utterly floored by Pandora's lush vegetation. This planet is nothing like Earth. It is so alive and wild that it almost feels magical. I read about it in our briefing materials and I saw the pictures, but seeing it for real is just mind boggling.

The vegetation varies in colour from bright greens to purples and pinks of flowering plants. It's hard to describe the sheer beauty of the jungle around me, I've never seen sights like I'm seeing here. I wonder absently what the others from this drop are feeling on seeing Pandora's beauty, are they in as much awe as I am over seeing such vast forest?

As I walk I'm constantly aware of how different this body is compared to my own. I noticed earlier that my hips move differently but it's more noticeable as I walk straight, the more familiar I become with this body and the more my movements are becoming fluid almost like a jungle cat stalking its prey. I hide in some bushes as I hear movement up ahead, it sounds like large animals. My senses were right and I remain silent as a group of Na'vi hunters enter the area on Direhorses.

_"Something came down in this direction." _The leader of the group said as I watched his eyes expertly scan the forest for traces of Direhorse stamped his feet nervously as if it could sense my hidden presence.

The beast's reaction concerned me, until its rider settled it with a gentle pat. Relieved, I cautiously observed the group of riders from my position, concealed by a thick bush. I had to admit that the sight of several Na'vi warriors sitting astride their massive beasts was an imposing sight for me. My breath caught in my throat and I once again double checked my weapon to confirm that it was ready for action, but I knew that would only expose both my presence and position to the Na'vi.

My eyes were drawn to the lone female Na'vi in the group._ "Do you think it is the sky people returning?" _She asked as she looked nervously up through the dense canopy as if trying to spot RDA gunships.

I felt a strange sensation in my loins as I gazed at the fierce and exotically beautiful woman astride her Direhorse. The sight of her forced my instincts into overdrive. I could tell by her demeanour and the confident way that she held her weapons that she was an experienced warrior of her people.  
_  
_Their leader glanced over at her with a haunted expression. _"That, I could not say Alyara, but if the Taruk Makto is right, they will be back eventually."_

I could not help thinking that her name sounded beautiful to my ears. Not just beautiful. Alyara, something about her name sang to me and I did not understand my reaction.

Another member of their hunting party attracted my attention when he let out a fierce war cry and pounded his chest with his fist. _"Let them come! We will be ready for them!" _

I had to admit he looked extremely intimidating, but Alyara appeared more amused by his posturing. She glanced over her shoulder at the determined warrior.

_The leader looked at the young hunter with what I could only describe as a deep sadness "Don't be so eager, Celan, the sky people are dangerous. They killed many of our people with their weapons of fire and metal."_

_Celan gestured with his arm as if to wave his leaders concern aside. "I know that Drewan, but by Ey'wa if the sky people return, we will fight them and win."_

I knew this Celan. Well, not him, but people like him. We had a number of cherries straight from boot camp enter our unit who were exactly like him. Young, dumb and full of cum. It took their first firefight to calm them down and make them understand the dirty reality of combat. If they survived it.__

Alyara looked concerned about her younger companion's enthusiasm. _"That may be so, but remember brother, Ey'wa is balance, and the sky people are part of that balance, even as different as they are."_

__Celan's eyes narrowed with determination. _"They don't belong here!"_

Now that I was boots on the ground, I kind of had to agree with him. After seeing the world with my own two Mark I eyeballs, I found myself thinking a little differently than before. I still had a mission to complete and I would not let anything stop me, but a nagging little part of my subconscious told me that Pandora was not our world. What right did we have to mess up this world like we did ours?  
_  
_Another young rider from the rear pushed his mount closer to the front. _"I heard a rumour that the Taruk Makto came from the sky people."_ He said, hopefully.

__One of his buddies from the rear laughed. _"That is surely just a story Ateyo."_

Alyara turned her mount to face Ateyo's accuser. _"No, it is true Arrain, Jake Sully was a Dream walker for the sky people, Ey'wa moved his spirit to his Dream walker." _

Alyara sounded as if she were familiar with Sully and I wondered what she meant by that. Had Jake's mind been somehow permanently moved to his Avatar body like the rumour mill indicated? I felt slightly panicked. Could the same happen to me? Is this why he betrayed us? I tried to put it out of my head for now, I'd think on it later when I wasn't surrounded by Na'vi hunters.

_"Well no matter, this search is pointless Drewan." _Celan said with a glance at his leader._ "I see no sign a sky person was here."_

"I agree. There is no more to see here. Let's head back." Drewan nodded in the direction they had arrived from, he turned his steed to lead the group back the way they had come and finally away from me.

My heart hammered in my chest from how close they had come to stumbling onto me. I am fortunate the ears on my Avatar were so sensitive. If I had not hidden when I had, I would have been found for sure. It was also a wise move on the RDA's part to give us all a rudimentary understanding of the Na'vi language. I knew that I would never sound like a native, but I could easily understand them.

I had to admit that it was a shock seeing them so close. Not just the Na'vi, but the Direhorses as well. Of course, I had seen pictures of the beasts, but pictures do not really do justice to seeing them in the flesh. They were larger than I realised and then, there were the Na'vi themselves. Maybe it was because my Avatar body was female, but I somehow felt more vulnerable.

The encounter shook me up quite a bit and I decided to call it a day, it had been hours since I began scouting the area and, based on the stories. I really didn't want to be out during the night. Once back at the pod I quickly ate and entered the living space of the pod to get some shut eye.

- End Chapter one -


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: The shadows are Stalking. **

Na'vi (_Italics_)

English (Normal)

Thanks to Sleethr and Djkauf for their invaluable assistance.

I ride my steed, my bow in hand, I nock an arrow preparing to take down my prey, I begin to sing to my prey as I take aim. My song steadies my breathing, focuses my mind as it also honours both the life and the death of my prey before Ey'wa. If my aim is true, if my arrow strikes true, my prey will feed the people.

"Lu nga win si txur" (You are fast and strong)

"Livu win si txur oe zene" (I must be fast and strong)

"Ha ni'aw" (So only)

"Pxan livu txo ni'oe ngari" (Only if I am worthy of you)

"Tsakrr nga Na'viru yomtiying" (Will you feed the people)

"Oeya swizaw ningay tivakuk" (Let my arrow strike true)

"Oeya txe'lan livu ngay" (Let my heart be true)

"Rerol ayoe ayngane" (We are singing your way)

"Terinan ayoe ayngane" (We are walking your way)

"Ha ftxey fko kip aynga" (So chose one among you)

"Awpot a Na'viru yomtiying" (Who will feed the people)

"Oeya swizaw ningay tivakuk" (Let my arrow strike true)

"Oeya txe'lan livu ngay" (Let my heart be true)

I release my arrow and watch as it effectively takes down my prey, dismounting I quickly approach the downed animal, it is a large Sturmbeest, I pray to Ey'wa and thank its spirit for the life, its death will bring to the people, then I quickly end its pain. As I prepare my kill to be brought back to the village, I contemplate the many years since the Sky people left.

Fifteen years had passed since the Taruk Makto had guided us to send the sky people home, many fell from the fire the Sky people rained down, but their spirits rested with Ey'wa now. The damage that had been done to our homes and villages was extensive, but in the time past we had rebuilt much.

We Omaticaya had lost our Hometree, the sky people who called themselves humans had destroyed it completely, we of the people had never seen such destruction, Our Hometree had been the primary home of the Omaticaya for countless generations, yet it was destroyed in the blink of an eye. Our people were in shock that the humans would so eagerly destroy our home and people.

The Taruk Makto later told us of the human's home world, how they damaged it out of greed and ignorance. We of the Omaticaya could not comprehend such behaviour. Yes, the Clans clashed sometimes, resulting in fierce battles. The fight was always swift, but afterwards the clans would sit to resolve matters. The humans seem to live for destruction. The Taruk Makto called it war. A concept we knew of from our own battles, but not on the immense scale of the humans.

We were right to be wary of the humans, they had already killed Sylwanin, elder sister of Neytiri. Sylwanin had been hunted by the humans after she had attacked one of their enormous metal beasts that tore up the forests. Our clan leaders had cut off ties with the humans, refusing to talk with them.

We did not learn until later that the Anurai clan had been completely wiped out, it was a shock to us, and we thought we could share our world with the humans. It was not to be, they did not want to share, just destroy. The Omaticaya only survived because we ran to safety, even then many were lost including Eytukan our Olo'eyktan or clan leader as the humans would say.

Tsu'tey was to be the next clan leader bonded to Neytiri, but she had chosen Jake Sully as her bonded. After the battle with the humans Tsu'tey was dying and made Jake Sully clan leader and asked Jake to end his pain, Jake reluctantly did and honoured the Omaticaya and Ey'wa with his words. _Oel ngati kameie tsmukan_ (I see you brother)

Of course Jake was still a Dreamwalker, but soon after the battle, Ey'wa helped his spirit move to his Na'vi body, the body he inhabited before was buried, honoured as one of the people. Jake was now our Olo'eyktan, Neytiri would one day become our Tsahìk but at that time Mo'at was still needed.

Norm also chose to join the Omaticaya too. Although, he was soon complaining when he realised his Na'vi body was still injured and how much it hurt. . He stopped complaining when he found himself being nursed by several young women. Several others who were Dreamwalker's for Tarya also became Omaticaya. Those who had no Dreamwalker bodies made use of the metal huts the humans used.

Ey'wa had surprised us after the battle, Doctor Grace or Tarya as we call her was not dead as we had thought, her spirit resided with Ey'wa helping Ey'wa to understand how destructive the humans could be. Ey'wa is the balance of all living things, seeing the destruction the humans had wrought on their home world incensed Ey'wa.

Ey'wa sent our beast brothers to help us fight back against the humans, once the battle was over; Ey'wa sent Tarya's spirit back to her Na'vi body. Truly, Tarya is blessed to have had such close contact with Ey'wa. We as a people have always been close to Ey'wa, but Tarya was actually one with Ey'wa, we will not be one with Ey'wa until the end of our days.

When Tarya was strong enough she and Max helped those humans left on Pandora to grow Na'vi bodies so they could join us. I am unsure of how they did this but it took several years before the humans could walk on Pandora as Na'vi. We had come to know these humans well and celebrated their rebirth as our brothers and sisters.

Tarya has taught us much of the humans and their world since they left to return home, we know they will return, Tarya told us of the rocks the humans want, we know it will be their greed that will bring them to try again. Since that time our people and all the clans have been preparing, we will protect our people, our homes and our world from those who seek to destroy it.

Jake, and Norm who some call Atan´eko, taught us many things about the human's fire sticks. They helped us make special arrows, should the humans return. These arrows will make noise and do much damage when they strike their targets. We would have shared our home with the Sky People but Jake, Norm and Tarya, think the humans would rather take than share.

I am sad for the humans, they do not realise Ey'wa provides for all our needs, why would we want things we do not need, many of us do not understand why they are like that. Tarya tells us many humans do not want to destroy us, that there are peoples of Earth who would seek to protect us, I do not understand how they could.

I'm brought from my musings as I hear a sound not heard for many years. It is the Sky people, they have returned, I see something in the distance, it seems to be falling slowly. My kill secure, I grab my bow and mount my pa'li (Direhorse) to join Drewan and the hunting party to search for what the humans have dropped. It takes nearly four hours to reach the area where we thought the object came down.

_"Something came down in this direction." _Drewan, our Hunt leader, said as he scanned the forest for traces of anything Direhorse stamped his feet nervously as if impatient to move on.

I looked around too as I sensed something, I have always been sensitive to Ey'wa, and she was telling me something._ "Do you think it is the sky people returning?" _I asked as I looked nervously up through the dense canopy trying to get a bearing on where the feeling is coming from.

Drewan glanced over to me; I could see a haunted look in his eyes, being the eldest of our group he had been in the battle with the Sky people. _"That, I could not say Alyara,but if the Taruk Makto is right, they will be back eventually."_

I nodded my agreement, I could not imagine what he must have seen during the battle, I had heard the stories and songs our people sung of that time, I remember seeing bodies of those whose spirits had returned to Ey'wa. Tarya and the others who stayed had pretty much agreed that the Sky people would return.

Celan attracted our attention when he let out a fierce war cry and pounded his chest with his fist. _"Let them come! We will be ready for them!"_

I felt like laughing at his bravado, he was too young to know much of what occurred when the Sky people reigned down fire on Hometree, I wasn't much older myself, I am barely thirty years now, Celan was barely five at that time.

Drewan looked at Celan with sadness_ "Don't be so eager, Celan, the sky people are dangerous. They killed many of our people with their weapons of fire and metal."_

Celan gestured with his arm as if to wave Drewan's concern away._ "I know that Drewan, but by Ey'wa if the sky people return, we will fight them and win."_

I shook my head, Celan was young and brash, and he still had to complete his training as a warrior. I looked at him concerned about his enthusiasm._ "That may be so, but remember brother, Ey'wa is balance, and the sky people are part of that balance, even as different as they are."_

Celan's eyes narrowed with determination._ "They don't belong here!"_

Celan worried me, he was so full of hate and anger, I know it is from the fact that his mother had died when the Sky people destroyed Hometree, so had many others, but hate would only lead to stupidity and death, hopefully he would learn to calm his anger before he joined Ey'wa from making a rash move.

Ateyo, another young rider from the rear pushed his mount closer to the front_. "I heard a rumour that the Taruk Makto came from the sky people." _His tone sounded hopeful.

One of his buddies from the rear laughed_. "That is surely just a story, Ateyo."_

I turned my steed to face Ateyo's accuser_. "No, it is true Arrain, _Jake Sully _was a Dreamwalker for the sky people, and Ey'wa moved his spirit to his Dreamwalker." _I had spoken to Neytiri about her bonded on many occasions and was told the full story of what had occurred.

_"Well no matter, this search is pointless, Drewan." _Celan said with a glance at his leader._ "I see no sign a sky person was here."_

_"I agree. There is no more to see here. Let's head back." _Drewan nodded in the direction they had arrived from, he turned his steed to lead the group back towards the village.

I was hesitant to leave, Ey'wa was telling me something was here, I wasn't sure what but I knew it was important to check out. As we left the area I signalled Drewan that I need to speak to him, he moved his steed closer.

"_You saw something?_" he asked with concern.

"_No, but I sensed something, I am not sure how to describe the feeling but I feel as though Ey'wa is trying to guide me."_

He looked at me with curiosity, he knew if I said I sensed something I was nearly always right, he knew I was sensitive to Ey'wa_ "You want us to return to look?"_

I shook my head and stopped my steed_ "No, I will go back on foot, if I find something I will observe, only. I will return soon."_

He nodded and took the reins of my mount "_Very well, be safe Alyara, may Ey'wa watch over you."_

I nodded to Drewan as I dismounted and unbonded my tswin, he and the others would take my steed back to the village with our kills.

I doubled back to where I'd felt the pull of Ey'wa and caught sight of a Na'vi wearing the clothes of the human Dreamwalker's, quickly I climbed a nearby tree to follow her from above. She travels fast, but is so loud crashing through the forest that I could easy follow from a distance.

She stops and looks nervously around before opening and entering dense bushes near a fallen log, I hear a mechanical sound briefly. After several minutes I climb down to investigate, peering through the bushes I see a well hidden smooth metal rock, I keep my distance and decide to watch.

Climbing a nearby tree I settled down to eat some cured meat and dried fruits, later I watched as a pack of Viperwolves moved past the area of the stranger, they looked agitated and didn't hang around; it was almost like they were repelled by something.

I'd felt something myself but was able to ignore it, it felt like a light humming in my ears. Eventually I settled down for some sleep, I expected the stranger would wake early, I knew from the clothes and movements that this was not a native of the Na'vi; four fingered hands told me that she was a Dreamwalker.

I decided I would follow her and watch what she gets up to. If the humans had returned, maybe she would lead me to what they were doing. Hopefully we could stop them before they could damage this world more.

-Scene break-

RDA Pod three later that same night...

Sleep did not come easily for me during that first night on Pandora, several times I heard things moving about outside of my pod, I couldn't tell if it was just wind rushing through the trees or if there were animals moving about out there. I had so much on my mind, this first day had been extremely stressful. First was the drop itself, that was one hell of a roller coaster ride, I never want to experience that again.

Then there was the feeling of having your brain sucked from your skull, god that felling was fucked up, the Colonel said it'd be 'disorientating' stupid asshole couldn't have picked a more lame assed description, I can honestly say the words 'fucked up' spring to mind as more accurate. If that wasn't bad enough next came the damned claustrophobia.

No one said anything about being trapped in a glass jar, of course then we come to Colonel Hacknslash's 'disorienting', stupid mother f'k, nothing and I mean nothing can prepare you to the sensations of being a blue three metre tall alien chick. I swear I'll never joke about women again.

The 'disorienting' part was finding breasts, I've seen plenty of breasts in my life but never from this perspective, looking down and seeing these huge, well okay maybe not huge to others, but to someone who never had breasts before, seeing those on your chest is to put it bluntly damn f'ked up.

I swear, I thought I was going to start freaking out, that is until I remembered I was on Pandora with no support. That fortunately allowed me to put aside my body trouble long enough haul my ass from my coffin, I mean pod. I wasted no time putting on the RDA issue sports bra, top and combat pants and above all arming myself.

Viperwolves and other predators were a constant worry, while they usually hunt by night, they can be seen about during the day. I wasn't comfortable trusting my life to a fancy noise machine, yeah I know, it's more advanced than that, still didn't mean I trusted it. The 'disorienting' hadn't stopped, I really wish I could kick the Colonel in the nuts without being court martialled, and ask him if he felt 'disoriented'. My body felt so wrong, the damn tail had a mind of its f'king own, and I'm not going to even think about the places it found itself.

Moving any part of my Avatar body causes innumerable strange sensations; it made moving and camouflaging the pod a voyage of discovery and pain. The MRE tasted disgusting and I'm seriously dreading six months of eating them, I've been seriously wondering if bugs would taste better. Finally after what seemed like weeks I began my recon, only to nearly run head long into a Na'vi hunting party.

About the only good thing in that whole cluster f'k was seeing Alyara, I'd seriously have a hard on for her, that is if I still had a dick to get hard, damn f'ked up eggheads in the RDA had to mess with my mojo. The encounter did teach me one thing though, how f'ked up this mission was, I mean seriously how command expects a bunch of individuals to take back Hell's gate boggles the mind.

Six months and I'm out, yeah right, I'll be lucky to last a f'king week. My other concern is the news that Jake somehow got stuck in his Avatar body, shit just considering the implications of that scares the crap out of me. If my mind gets trapped in my Avatar body I'm not sure what I'll do.

I eventually fell into a restless sleep after fretting over surviving the next six months. What I remember of my dreams were, to put it bluntly, disturbing.

I never seen a real Thanator, I'd seen images though and been briefed on their size and behaviour, having a nightmare about being chased by one was unnerving. Another time I found myself hunted by a pack of Viperwolves. The worst nightmare by far though, was being discovered by a Na'vi hunting party and tortured, in ways no human male should be tortured. The mere thought of that nightmare sent shivers down my spine waking me up feeling as though I wanted to hurl.

As I roused I shook my head to clear my mind of those dark nightmares, I really didn't want to dwell on them, but suspected they might haunt me until I'm either dead, or survive long enough to ship out. Regardless of my dreams I had a mission to accomplish and time was wasting. I changed clothes then busied myself packing my rucksack with food, clothes and ammo ready for my first long distance recon,

Before heading out, I quickly ate another foul tasting MRE meal, I honestly had no idea whether I'd survive the food, let alone the wildlife, I closed up the pod, checked my weapons were all locked and loaded. I was nervous as hell, I had the feeling of being watched all morning but saw no one about, finally I shrugged, biting the bullet, I grabbed my gear and began heading away from my camp in the direction I'd scouted yesterday.

I wasn't sure where my pod had landed but it was obvious from yesterday's encounter that I was within riding distance of a Na'vi clan, I decided I needed to get high to be able to get a bearing on Hell's gate, maybe I'd also be able to see where that hunting party had originated from, with luck I could steer clear of their hunting territories.

I decided one of the trees around me would do perfectly, even from the pictures and videos shown worldwide on Earth, nothing could compare to seeing the sheer gigantic proportions they reach for real. If I wasn't seeing their size for myself I'd have never believed how big they really are, they are at least several times the size of trees on Earth if not more.

Climbing one was a lesson in endurance, it was hard at first, that was until figured out the best way to scale it and got a good rhythm going. It felt like I'd never reach the top, that was compounded by the huge physical change I'd gone through, my Avatar body was still very disconcerting, I wasn't sure I'd ever be comfortable in it.

Then again, if what I heard the Na'vi hunters say was anything to go by, this trip down the rabbit hole could turn out to be a permanent one way trip to Na'vi womanhood, I shuddered at the thought not really able to fully comprehend the implications of what that might mean. From my understanding the Na'vi race's reproduction cycle is similar to humans, but I'm sure we know more than the basic, no mention was made to more intimate issues we could face.

As I reached the tree top, I felt slightly unsteady from thoughts I had careening through my mind. Fortunately, the view of kilometre upon kilometre of jungle, literally took my breath away, it snapped me from my minds perilous direction. Pandora was full of life, the sheer scale of its beauty threatened to bring tears to my eyes.

I shook my head, being 50 meters up without a harness I needed to concentrate, last thing I needed was to fall or be discovered, all because I was too busy sightseeing to do my job and pay attention to my surroundings. Ignoring the beauty of my view I concentrated on looking for signs of Na'vi populated zones, the dense jungle made it impossible to see much of anything through the canopy of the trees, much less settlements.

I could see trees several times the size of the tree I was in, I know Na'vi used those as a kind of primary home, the tree's were big enough to house whole clans. I could no indication of settlements, even though I knew they were out there. I could easily make out what I assumed were the Hallelujah Mountains, words can't begin to express my feelings at seeing such sights.

After several minutes searching for signs, I decided looking with my eyes was fruitless, I pulled out my data pad and brought up the map, satellites had been in orbit since humans first arrived here; using the GPS signal I discovered Hell's gate was located 15 klicks North west of my position, more importantly, a medium sized RDA outpost, was located approximately 1 click to the east, with luck I could gather some supplies there. My biggest concern though was finding myself several klicks South East of the Omaticaya territory.

I decided the RDA outpost should be my first port of call, the satellite imagery on the pad gave no indication that the site was damaged in any way, it looked as though it had been left in the state it had been abandoned. I only hoped the imagery was correct, and that it's intact, although I have food, weapons and medical supplies, they are not inexhaustible. I would also be a good idea to check if any others from my drop made it there.

I cautiously climb down, the trip down is ten times harder than going up, I'm fortunate that I don't suffer from a fear of heights. Reaching the ground I sigh in relief, I look around for a few minutes, I can still feel something watching me, and eventually I give up. Finding my bearings, I begin my long trek through the jungle. I'm constantly alert to the dangers around me, I've been feeling like I'm being watched all morning but I haven't seen any hint that anybody is around.

I can't help but feel every movement my Avatar body makes as I walk, It's not easy to focus on keeping my eyes and ears open to danger, when my body feels so alien to me. Worse is that it doesn't feel as alien as yesterday, I have to wonder how natural it will feel after months of residing in it, will my human body start to feel alien?

Half a klick in I freeze and crouch hearing movement up ahead, slowly I creep towards a nearby tree to get behind some cover, it's not long before I see the source of the noise, I'm awed as I watch a herd of ten Hammerhead Titanothere's move through the jungle past my location, I'm grateful I wasn't spotted as I had read they can be pretty aggressive if threatened.

I breathe a sigh of relief, as they continue moving away from my location, ignorant of my presence, hopefully I can find somewhere safe to bed down tonight, I really don't rate the odds of me making my way back to the pod after dark, not with creatures like that around. Thinking about it though I'm probably in more danger from Direwolves and Thanator's, part of the brief included the behaviour of native species, Titanothere's while aggressive are like the bears of North America. If you hold your ground they will leave you be, if you run they will trample you to death.

Not a pleasant prospect, after I'm sure there's no further danger I push on towards the RDA outpost, maybe I can use the Avatar quarters to bed down for the night. If fortune favours me, I'll find the supplies I need to last longer than six months if needed.

It takes me another two hours before I can see the fences that surround the outpost, they look intact as do the buildings, In fact the gates are closed, fortunately there are ladders either side of the gates. I carefully do a full sweep of the outpost's perimeter; I check the fences carefully for damage. The last thing I need is something getting in and killing me in my sleep, finding the outpost secure I begin my climb to relative security.

-Scene break-

I watched the Dreamwalker all day as I followed her, she had climbed a tree to get her bearings, I stifled my laughter seeing her clumsy climbing technique, a Direhorse would have climbed the tree with more grace. I watched her taking in the sight of my world with a look of awe. I had to agree, my world while savage and untamed held untold beauty. We Omaticaya have always revered the beauty that surrounds us; I see no reason the humans shouldn't too.

The shift in the way she held herself told me she had gotten her emotions under control, her demeanour was that of a warrior hunting, I observed her using a data pad to work out her position, Tarya had used a similar item to write words, I was fascinated by Tarya's use of such an item as we do not have written words, we use stories and songs to pass on our history.

I have to admit, after the Anurai were wiped off the face of Pandora, we were sad that their stories, their songs, were lost to all but Ey'wa. I wondered if one day we would share their fate, if our stories and songs would be lost too, it was not a pleasant thought, sadly it was one we had to acknowledge, since the humans arrived bringing conflict with them, at times it feels inevitable.

After locating whatever she needed, she climbed down, I watched as she scanned around as if looking for someone. I idly wondered if she was sensing my presence on some level, if she was then maybe she is more sensitive to Ey'wa than other human Dreamwalker's. From the stories and songs of the time the Sky people came, only a few were sensitive to Ey'wa.

I knew she would not see me; I have been trained for many years to be invisible to my prey. The Dreamwalker gave up eventually, at which point she slowly began to travel East, I knew there was a human settlement there that had been abandoned by the humans, it had been left alone since they're departure. I wondered what this Dreamwalker would want there, and was determined to find out.

As I followed I became more intrigued by her, the more she walked the smoother her movements became. I remember Tarya telling us about how the Dreamwalker's took time to get used to their Na'vi bodies, how simple everyday movements felt different in a body, at nearly twice the size of a human, it is not surprising that things would be...unusual at first. I could not begin to imagine what it would be like.

There was more to this Dreamwalker though; she moved almost like a male would, she seemed uncomfortable at times too. It was strange and yet interesting, I wish I could just ask her what is so uncomfortable, but I realise I cannot risk approaching her, if she is here to fight us I do not want provoke her into stepping up her plans.

Observing her will show me what her intentions are, as long as she has no idea I'm watching her I can make my way back to warn the clans. The fact that all the Dreamwalker's from before, decided to become of the people, and this, was not one of those who stayed, means that the humans have definitely returned and are planning something. The questions are what, and how many more humans and Dreamwalker's are here?

The Dreamwalker seems fascinated by the trees and plants that thrive here, she stops several times throughout the journey so she can look at them more closely. I can only pray she is not here to cause problems. The way this Dreamwalker looks at the plants makes me think that maybe she does not want to destroy them, her expression tells me she is awed by Ey'wa, were it not for the fire stick she carries I would have considered approaching her.

I remember Neytiri telling me that the human's home world has nothing like the plant life found here, they destroyed much of it in their greed and war.

I hear several Angtsìk coming this way, I hide and watch the Dreamwalker for sign that she hears them, a minute later she crouches and crawls to hide. Her expression as they pass amuses me, Tarya says that there are very few creatures the size of Titanothere's on Earth, and the Dreamwalker's behaviour tends to lead credence to that fact.

After several minutes we move on, she seems more cautious, it is understandable Titanothere's are quite intimidating when first seen, I sense there is more to her concern than Titanothere's though; I suspect she is worried about other creatures of Pandora. Even as nervous as she is, part of her attention is on the plants and beauty of everything.

Eventually though we reach the abandoned settlement, I settle and watch as she scouts the surrounding area, I imagine she is concerned with Direwolves and other predators gaining access while she sleeps. I wonder if she has even considered that a Na'vi could climb the fence and slit her throat without even waking her.

-End Chapter 2-


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Ey'wa's Dream hunt.**

Speech in Na'vi _"Italics."_  
Speech in English "English."

Thanks to Sleethr and Djkauf for their invaluable assistance.

After scaling the fence, I was pleased to find that, although the site was unkempt it was still habitable. Plants had begun to take root but hadn't yet reached the buildings. The outpost looked like it had just been abandoned a few months ago rather than fifteen years. I found myself surprised; I would have expected a lot more growth to have occurred.

Entering the first hanger I discovered a couple GAV Swan's parked side by side. Beside them were several dirt bikes, surprisingly one was large enough for an Avatar. I had no idea that the RDA had built vehicles for the Avatar's size, I figure they probably had them for the researchers to use. I wasn't about to jump on it and go tearing through the jungle, sometimes being covert sucked.

A Buggy IV also stood in the hangar with its left front wheel missing. I wondered how much had been left unfinished in the RDA's haste to get the hell out of dodge, the RDA had been adamant the Na'vi's attack was unprovoked. Personally, I didn't buy into their official story, too many rumors said otherwise. I'm not sure the UN believed the official story either. Problem is, Earth isn't close enough for the UN to really monitor everything the RDA get up to.

Moving on I discover a second larger hangar, containing an Aerospatiale SA-2 Samson, I guess it was down for maintenance, since reports had indicated that many were destroyed by the Na'vi riding Banshee's during the final conflict. I also note several different Drones stored here, I could activate them to add to the site's security, but they would be just as likely to kill a friendly as they would a foe.

I decided to consider it later, moving on. I entered another hangar structure that contained not only several AMP suits, but the main armory for the site. Inside was like an Aladdin's cave of weaponry. Everything from AG-MFM 332 Missiles to the GS-221 30-Caliber Light Machine Guns, most of the weapons stored are useless to me due to my current size, most human weapons were just too small for an Avatar to use effectively.

I had been issued an AVR M30 Machine gun for this mission. It, along with my handgun had been specifically made for Avatar use. The good thing about this is, the M30 is actually based off the M60, Avatar's can use the M60's and both weapons use the same 7.62 caliber rounds, so ammunition can be gathered from any RDA site on Pandora.

I grab a kit bag and pack a couple of M60's as backup weapons, I pack an Avatar Machete, I already have one but it's good to be prepared. I also gather together plenty of ammo, grenades and several stun and proximity mines; we were not issued grenades or mines due to space limitations and some safety BS. I had considered taking a few MBS-22A Automated Sentry Guns. They would have been useful to keep wildlife from anyplace I bunk down. However, there's just no way to carry one let alone several, for that I'd have to figure how to adapt a GAV for my current size.

On my way from the weapon stores, I remove an AMP suit knife and sheath from an AMP suit that is partially stripped down, I guess it is in for maintenance that got disrupted. Shrugging, I attach it to the belt I'd picked up with my weapons. While I had two machetes an Amp suit knife is designed more for combat and would be quite useful.

Exiting the hanger I again get the feeling I'm being watched, it's unnerving that I can find no sign of anyone or anything around me. I dropped my kit bag and I decided to do another check around the compound; the only part I haven't explored yet is the living quarters and mess hall. Half an hour of frustration later I gave up; collecting my ammo supplies I head over to the site's Avatar barracks; it's easily big enough to accommodate my size.

Surprisingly, I'd discovered the compound still had some power, I could see solar panels on several surrounding buildings. I figured that must be the source, it was doubtful generators would survive without maintenance. Thankfully the Avatar barracks, while secure, weren't sealed in like the human barracks were, there were also space heaters to keep any cold at bay. Fortunately, from my briefing on Earth I found the climate tended to be fairly moderate during the night.

Human barracks have Atmospheric filtration systems installed, this is technically a scaled up version of the Exopack system. The AF system is used inside any hermetically sealed building; the system is also fitted to AMP suits so once inside personnel don't have to wear bulky Exopacks to breathe. I guess being in an Avatar body is good for something after all, even if it is female. I shudder, as positive as that thought was I'm still struggling with this whole stupid plan. I can understand corporate's reasoning, but it still sucks, this mission is crazy enough without, the added complication of being in an Avatar body of the wrong sex.

As I set up a bunk and stow my gear, I wondered idly if, after a couple of months, I'd end up so freaked I'd choose to eat a bullet rather than continue, maybe I wouldn't even last that long with the way I was feeling. Shaking my head I stood up and left the barracks to check out supplies in the mess hall, with any luck the freezers would be working, I could murder a steak right about now.

Leaving the barracks I got that damned feeling again, maybe I'm going crazy, I rub my temples. I consider the situation and laugh when a stray thought comes to mind, maybe the Na'vi goddess was playing with my head, Yeah like that's real, damn stupid superstitions, I've never believed in a God or goddess. I'm not comfortable with the idea of an all knowing benevolent being, or is that malevolent being?

I believe in what I can see with my own eyes, feel with my own hands and kill with a bullet or knife. I laugh as I remember what Jake Sully said while we were stationed in Venezuela 'I joined up to see the world, meet new and interesting people, then shoot them.' I'm still wondering what made him betray us as I walk to the mess hall. Just my luck, it seems the powers off, I'm definitely not getting that steak.

Actually thinking about it, the power being off is a good thing considering that like the human barracks the mess hall is hermetically sealed too, if it still functioned I'd have to find a way to kill the AFS. Looking in the storeroom I find a wealth of tinned and dried foods, soups, corned beef, pasta, and so much more, I feel like I just won the jackpot. Most canned foods will last decades before being inedible; the can itself would probably rot first.

I quickly find an opener and grab a can of corned beef. I practically moan from the taste, this tastes way better than an MRE any day. After finishing it I look some more and find nuts, dates and figs. I also locate some instant coffee; I get an empty bottle and use the hand pump by the tap to fill it with water. Every RDA site has a well sunk to draw water, it's usually pumped up by machine but in case power is lost hand pumps are always installed.

Both pump systems go through a filtration system but to be safe I add iodine anyway, no sense in risking my health, although it'll be boiled as well. Grabbing the coffee, I head back to the barracks to set up a fire trying desperately to ignore the damned 'being watched'feeling. I've checked this site enough to know no one is here. It doesn't take long till I'm eating my dried fruits and nuts while enjoying a coffee, granted it's only instant but it's better than water.

While sitting around the fire I begin to plan my next move, first I need to gather food supplies, including coffee, then find a way to transport it back to my pod. Hmmm, I wonder if I could disarm a Drone and program it to follow carrying my heavy gear and food. Something to consider further, then again maybe I could risk the dirt bike.

As the night draws in, my fire dwindles, I once again find myself in awe at seeing the plants as they begin to glow with bioluminescence, bright purple, pinks, greens and blues, literally surrounding the outpost. Again I feel the need to question why, with such a wealth of life on Pandora, we need to destroy it for a rock. I sat for what seemed like hours taking in the beauty and in the end my only conclusion was greed and ignorance.

Is that why Jake turned on us, did he come to the same conclusion as me? I wanted to see a new world, observe interesting people, but do I want, or for that matter do I have the right to kill them so corporate can make a profit?

I put the pack of dates down on the ground, so I can add wood and stoke the fire, there are too many unanswered questions surrounding Jake. RDA command has painted a picture of him as a mass murderer, a traitor to humanity. Problem is that picture is the complete opposite of the man I knew, the Jake Sully I knew was a good Marine, a good friend and loyal to his country.

His being locked in his Avatar body might be the reason. However, I suspect there is more I don't know, what I do know is if we cross paths I'll definitely ask questions first. The Colonel can go screw his orders for all I care, I want answers, and only Jake can give them. Picking up my pack of dates, I began eating again not noticing the glow worm that had found it way inside a date.

-Scene break-

As the Dreamwalker entered the human settlement, I am in two minds of what to do. A part of me thinks I should head back to warn the others, the other part of me, the part Ey'wa speaks through tells me to stay. I do not know why Ey'wa wants me to stay, but she has never led me down the wrong path before. Others of the Omaticaya believe I am Ey'wa's Alaksi Nari, I'm not sure if this is true but when Ey'wa speaks I listen. My choice made I make my way to the fence, making sure to keep hidden.

When the Dreamwalker enters a hut of metal, I swiftly scale the fence and find a place to observe, it isn't long before she comes back out, moments later she enters another hut. I'm not sure what she is doing but she's in there for several minutes, eventually she returns carrying a bag, she's looking around nervously, again I get the feeling she suspects I am here.

Dropping the bag she begins to check the whole village, I keep just out of her sight, I do not want to startle her while she holds a fire stick. Eventually, she has finished searching and returns to collect her bag, still unaware of my presence. I watch as she goes into another hut.

While she's there I look more closely at my surroundings. Although it is easy to see all of the huts here since the time the sky people left, Ey'wa is already showing signs of taking back the land. It is clear to see where the humans had cleared the area of plants, now new life is growing here. I revel in the beauty of my world again, marveling at how Ey'wa is reclaiming the land and restoring the balance.

I watch the Dreamwalker exits her sleeping hut and enters another, this time she is there longer, eventually she returns outside carrying several objects including a see through water container. I watch as she sets about making a fire, I find myself enthralled by her actions; I am not sure what I am feeling, but it's unlike anything I've felt before.

Eventually her fire begins to die, her face becomes awash with emotion as the forests natural bioluminescence becomes more visible. Her face appears beautiful as a look of wonder appears in her expression. Eventually, she puts her food down and starts to reignite the fire from its dwindling embers. I catch a glimpse of something glowing green near her food. Just as quickly the glow vanishes as the new wood ignites, bathing her area in light.

I shake my head, the humans and Dreamwalker's are like babies, they come here and have no concept of how dangerous this world can be. If what I suspect is happening, the Dreamwalker might soon be dead. Eltungawng or glow worms are dangerous; we Na'vi use the worms for a variety of things, from medicine to lighting for bladder lanterns. However, they are also used as part of the Uniltaron or Dream hunt, the rite of passage begins with swallowing an Eltungawng, and then the warrior is bitten by a Kali'weya. (Arachnid)

This induces the Dream hunt where a Na'vi becomes an adult and full warrior, the ceremony is dangerous and sometimes a Na'vi dies during the rite. Swallowing a worm, while not lethal by itself, could cause the Dreamwalker to feel unwell. She may end up putting herself in danger, the toxins of the worm will cloud her mind.

Suddenly she stands, her eyes wide in fright, she looks around wildly struggling to focus, she abandons the fire and stumbles to her sleeping hut, moments later I hear her scream in pain. I feel the wind rush by me towards the hut, I know Ey'wa is telling me to go to the Dreamwalker, ignoring my need to hide; I rush across the settlement and into the hut.

The Dreamwalker is curled up crying, her eyes unfocussed. I catch sight of an Arachnid scuttling from where the Dreamwalker lies. I feel like laughing when I realize why Ey'wa wanted me to follow this Dreamwalker, the humans deny Ey'wa's existence, and they cannot comprehend our bond with Ey'wa. Yet, I see Ey'wa's hand clearly in this situation.

The chances of someone accidentally swallowing a glow worm, then being bitten by an Arachnid straight after is unheard of. My being here at this exact moment tells me Ey'wa arranged for the Dreamwalker to undergo Uniltaron. As if Ey'wa hears my thoughts, I watch stunned as many Atokirina or Woodsprite's as the humans say, float in through the bars that cover the windows. They congregated on the Dreamwalker, resting for a moment before floating back out on the breeze, completely unnoticed by the Dreamwalker.

I shook my head, this was a mistake, the humans and Dreamwalker's were dangerous. However, Ey'wa has given clear sign that this Dreamwalker is important somehow. That I, must help her survive the rite, with that in mind I cautiously approach the Dreamwalker.

-Scene break-

I was sitting enjoying my dried fruit when I felt something very wrong, I stood, with my eyes wide in shock. I'm not sure what was happening but everything felt off, my eyes were unfocused. I looked around in panic but saw nothing through the haze. I stumbled to my bunk, I have a bad feeling something had gotten into the fruit I'd been eating. I had an idea of what it was and figured lying down to sleep would help.

We'd been given fairly extensive briefings on Pandora, everything from language to plants and animals; I suspected I'd inadvertently swallowed a glow worm. While not poisonous itself, it was known to impair judgment, I felt lightheaded almost like I am tipsy. I make it to the bunk and try to lie down, but as put my hand down I feel a sharp pain, looking down I see an Arachnid fall off the bed.

I crawl on the bunk knowing my mission is over, I will be dead soon. With the toxins from the glow worm impairing my thoughts, and with the stress of this damn stupid mission, coupled with my imminent death my emotions take over. I'd always been in control of my emotions; maybe it's the hormones in this stupid body, or maybe just the intense stress of the mission finally breaking my control. I don't know; I just find myself start weeping uncontrollably.

I hear noise nearby, my vision is hazy and the tears aren't helping, I can however make out a blue figure standing before me, my weapons are not accessible, I have no idea how they had discovered me, I didn't care, either the poison would kill me or the Na'vi would. What came next I didn't expect.

_"What's your name?"_ The voice sounded female.

"Morgan." I manage through gritted teeth, the pain from the poisonous bite was intense, like nothing I'd ever felt before.

"_Morgan, you must relax, Ey'wa has decided you are to endure the Dream Hunt, usually only those ready to become warriors of the tribe, go through the Dream hunt."_ Even though I was struggling I was just barely able to understand her.

"Aren't you going to kill me?" I expected she would have killed me already, I don't understand why she hasn't.

The woman laughed lightly before continuing, _"No, Ey'wa guided me to follow you, she wishes me to help you endure the Dream hunt. I do not know why, but when Ey'wa speaks I listen."_

I felt confused but nodded "What do I do?" F**k, the pain was getting unbearably worse.

_"Relax, allow your mind to drift, Ey'wa will guide you to find your spirit animal, your animal will then guide you on the hunt. I will sing and pray to Ey'wa to give you the strength."_

I hear the woman begin to sing, I feel my muscles slowly begin to relax, her melody soothing something deep within me, it sounded like the most beautiful sound I'd ever heard. I couldn't focus on the words, but just the sounds were helping ease my pain. I absently wonder why she is doing this, but I come up blank. I can feel her touching me but I can't focus on what she is doing except she has a gentle touch.

I uncurl myself and begin to relax, I find my mind drifting. The cloudiness of my vision begins to clear. I find myself deep in the jungle overlooking an immense waterfall. Looking down at myself I am surprised to find I'm female and wearing the native clothes of a huntress. A bead necklace adorns my neck, bearing a strange amulet depicting a Thanator rearing up, and there are bracers on my arms and legs made from some kind of leather. A pattern of leaves are etched into them.

I hear rustling behind me, I spin around, shocked to come face to face with a fully grown Thanator. I know this was a hallucination but I still have trouble trying not to soil myself. It stares at me with an intensity I'd never felt before, seeing pictures of the massive beasts was one thing, looking into its eyes was another matter entirely.

It felt like it is looking directly into my soul, like it is judging my worthiness for something. I hold my ground and stare back, I refuse to show fear. Then as if it has come to a conclusion, it turns to its side and looks at me over its massive shoulder. I'm getting the impression I am to climb on its back, but before I can it shakes its massive head. One of its paws points to the queue that has fallen over my shoulder. I remember reading about the use of the queue.

I hold my queue and find the Thanator's. Linking them I feel a jolt, like I've been plugged into an electric main. I can feel the Thanator in my mind, I can feel his, yes his, I can feel his spirit is male. I can feel him breathing, his muscles flexing his readiness. I climb on his back behind his powerful shoulders. His eagerness to hunt increases, it feels like it is my own.

With barely a warning felt through the link we bound through the jungle at breakneck speed. I can feel the Thanator's powerful muscles under me, at the same time it is me. It's difficult to adequately describe the feeling of the bond; intense would be accurate but sorely lacking in depth. I feel awed by the feelings being fed back through my queue, every stride, jump and slide feel like it's my body moving even though it's his. I can literally feel the soil beneath my…his paws.

We come to a great tree, I watch in shock as RDA forces bombarded it with rockets. The magnitude of destruction and death has me in tears, "why?" There's no answer, just the wailing of Na'vi as they search for dead and dying. This surely can't be real, maybe this is what will happen. I can feel the Thanator's thoughts, while alien to me, and I get a sense that this has already occurred.

The Thanator takes me much deeper into the jungle, eventually we come to another conflict taking place. RDA forces are slaughtering Na'vi indiscriminately. AMP suits formed in a line with foot troops between them are peppering the whole area with bullets. The Thanator has me positioned slap bang between the two forces. The scene is horrific, the blood, the carnage, the noise and smell of death hangs in the air.

On the Na'vi side I see women with children mowed down in a hail of bullets; on the RDA side I was sickened to see glee on the faces of my fellow soldiers. When I joined the Marines I swore an oath to my country, later after Venezuela, I made an oath with my unit to protect innocents, these weren't my brother Marines. The RDA are the savages they claim the Na'vi are. I am clearly being given a choice; slaughter innocents or kill those who do.

I make my choice. I can almost feel pride from the Thanator as it responds to my decision and leaps into action.

-Scene break-

I have no idea how long I endured the Dream hunt. However, when I blinked my eyes open again it was morning. I was lying practically naked on my bunk, covered in paint. I had no idea where it came from. I wondered if the Na'vi woman I'd seen was real. Maybe she painted me, looking around I could see no sign of her. Shaking my head to clear it, I dismiss it as nothing more than a dream, I probably painted myself in my delirium. Shrugging, I get up and go about my routine of shit and shower. Shaving was out, the shower did nothing but remind me of my current predicament. I am lucky the Avatar quarters have power, so at least the water was clean and hot.

That doesn't help much as the sensations while showering are completely alien, I wish more than ever I could kick Colonel Hackworth's ass; his 'disorientating' was still haunting me. Then again, I've noticed it isn't as much as before; while this body still feels alien to me it's less irritating than during that first day. While showering I think back to the Dream hunt, it was strange to say the least. What was really odd was being a female Na'vi wearing the clothes of their warriors. I would have expected to be male and human in the Dream hunt and feel myself confused as to why I wasn't.

I was also confused at what the Dream hunt was telling me, I was here to help take back Pandora so the RDA could mine Unobtainium. However, how can I live with myself, if I allow the RDA to exterminate the Na'vi like they are nothing but vermin? On the same token, to stop them, I'd have to betray my own people. Is any of what I saw during my Dream hunt real?

I don't know, but I do know I'm going to find out. I finished my shower, dried and dressed; I made my way out of the Avatar quarters only to stop dead in my tracks. The sight of the huntress from near my pod, Alyara I think her name is, practically shuts down my brain. I consider going for my sidearm, Alyara does nothing threatening. In fact she's just sitting there beside the roaring fire cooking some kind of meat. Judging by the nearby carcass, I can only assume she went hunting while I slept.

She looks up at me_ "I am glad to see you have woken, come sit, you must eat after your Dream hunt."_ Her voice is soft, almost soothing.

I'm nervous about her presence and she seems to instinctively know.

_"I am not here to fight you Morgan; I came to see what you were doing and just observe. Ey'wa guided me, telling me to follow, I do not understand why but it is the will of Ey'wa."_

"_You are Alyara_?" I asked as I took the offered seat.

She nodded and smiled brightly "_Yes, I take it you were listening when the other hunters and I were looking for you."_

Her smile was beautiful "_Yes, I heard Celan's little speech too."_

She grinned _"Celan is young, sadly his youth clouds his mind to the danger. He will one day see it, and I only hope it is before it's too late."_

I nodded my agreement, before accepting some meat she offers.

"_So tell me Dreamwalker, why have you come back to our home_?" she eyed me with suspicion.

_"And if I refuse to say?"_ I expected her to threaten to kill me there and then, I'm taken back when she just laughs, the laugh is very musical and I find I'm entranced by it.

"_Sooner or later, others of my clan, maybe even other clans will learn of your presence here, I do not think they will ask nicely."_

I considered what to tell her, then I remembered the Dream hunt _"Before I answer, tell me Alyara, how real are the visions from the Dream hunt?"_ My answer would depend greatly on hers.

_"The Dream hunt can show many things, sometimes the hunter will see the past, sometimes the future. Then at times it may show what may or may not happen depending on the hunter and Ey'wa. Each Dream hunt is unique to the hunter, why do you ask?"_

_"Has one of the giant trees ever been destroyed, and if so how?"_ I wondered because although rumor back home was rife, the RDA told the story of an unprovoked uprising.

Alyara's face took on a look of pure anger, despite my concern, I couldn't help but marvel how even her anger made her beautiful "_After what your people did to us, you act ignorant."_

I held up my hands trying to placate her anger _"We were told that the Na'vi led by Jake Sully started an unprovoked uprising causing the RDA to flee. I'm not trying to offend. I just want to understand my Dream hunt, and what I saw."_

Alyara's face softens slightly _"Your people lied to you, many kunsip's (gunships) came. They tried to smoke us out, then they began to attack Hometree with fire and metal, eventually Hometree was destroyed completely, many were killed from fire and the tree as it fell. Men, women and children were slaughtered by your people."_

Alyara's face turned sad _"Answer me this Dreamwalker, can killing people for rock you don't own, be justified?"_

I shook my head, I was brought here to do just that I realized, I was many things but I wasn't a murderer of innocents, the RDA had lied, this whole mission was so they could continue to kill innocents to make a f**king profit. I felt my anger rising, but before it got too much, I noticed Alyara was reaching for her knife, it was enough to calm me.

_"Alyara, for what it's worth I'm sorry, I never knew that the RDA had done that, I also didn't mean to frighten you."_

Alyara nervously _laughed "Me, frightened of a Dreamwalker? I was just preparing in case you decided to attack."_

I looked her doubtfully but decided not to push my luck. I mulled over what Alyara had told me before continuing _"Alyara, I need to know more, will you tell me everything that happened since the humans first came here?"_

Alyara nodded and began to explain about the arrival of the sky people.

It was late when Alyara finished telling me all that had occurred on Pandora. I felt shocked to learn the Anurai clan had been wiped out for nothing more than a greedy man wanting to sell their artifacts. The destruction of the Omaticaya's home was the turning point; it was also the moment Jake had turned his back on humans.

I felt sick at how I had been used; thank goodness I didn't get a chance to fulfill my mission. I could have ended up helping to kill people like Alyara; I'm not sure how I'd live with myself if I did that. Problem was there were a few hundred others planning on doing just that, I wouldn't let them kill Alyara, I froze at that thought.

"Oh man, I'm seriously pussy whipped." I muttered under my breath.

-Scene break-

Hours later in the village where the Omaticaya now resided, Drewan was growing concerned. Alyara had not returned yet, he knew she was a capable hunter, his best in fact, she had worked hard to become his second, but if she had indeed come across humans she might have been killed.

He shook his head, he'd returned to the area where she had disappeared but found no sign of her. It was possible, if she had found humans, she could have followed them, that didn't abate his concern though. Deciding to take action, he made his way to the Olo'eyktan's home to discuss his concerns; he knocked and waited. Neytiri opened the door.

_"I see you, Drewan,"_

_"I see you, Neyiri,"_

_"If you're here to see Jake, I am afraid he's away."_

_"That's okay; you might be able to advise me."_

_"Come in and be seated,"_

Drewan followed her in and took a seat.

_"Tell me Drewan, what is bothering you, is it the thing you saw the other day?"_

Drewan nodded _"One of my hunters, Alyara, felt something, as you know she has always been sensitive to Ey'wa's calling. I am fairly sure she is an Alaksi Nari. The day we saw something fall from the sky Alyara told me she could feel Ey'wa telling her something, she wanted to find what Ey'wa wanted. Against my better judgment, I allowed her to go."_

Drewan took a shaky breath "_She said she would observe and return soon, yet she has still not come back. I went to where I last saw her but found no sign of her anywhere. I am growing concerned for her safety."_

Neytiri sat quietly for a minute, Mo'at was still Tsahìk for the clan but she was training to take over soon. Even though her duties hadn't started, people still came for advice, but the problem was, she wasn't sure she could help in this.

_"Have you searched by Ikran or just Pa'li?"_

_"Pa'li,"_

_"That may be something to consider, if she found something she may have followed to see what the human was up to. Jake is currently searching to the East, several clans have reported seeing objects dropped."_

_"However, no one has actually found one yet, to determine what they are. Where you thought the object landed is not far from an old human settlement, if when Jake returns and Alyara has not, maybe we can go there and see if she's around."_

Drewan nodded "_I am probably worried for nothing, thank you Neytiri; I will see if I can see a sign of her from the air. The Olo'eyktan is busy enough without my adding to his worries. I will keep a look out for anything suspicious."_

Neytiri nodded _"Stay safe, Drewan, don't take chances, I have a feeling she is alright." _ Neytiri smiled as she led him out.

Drewan walked back to his home, it was too late to try to search from the air now, he'd set out tomorrow morning, with luck he'd have his wayward hunter back by tomorrow nightfall.

-End Chapter 3-


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Remembering yourself.**

Speech in Na'vi _"Italics."_  
Speech in English "English."

Thanks to Sleethr and Djkauf for their invaluable assistance.

Deep in the Hallelujah Mountains near the Hometree of the Ni'awve clan a predator stirs from its slumber, stretching its massive body it looks at its surroundings, quills flaring up around its enormous head. It can sense its prey somewhere to the North East, moving swiftly it begins its journey from the Valley of Thanator's to hunt down its prey.

-Scene Break-

RDA Outpost two…

I sat awake for hours contemplating everything Alyara had told me of the RDA's actions on Pandora, I realized my Dream hunt had shown me firsthand what the RDA had done. The tree that was destroyed was definitely the Omaticaya's Hometree. The other group I saw was dressed differently though, I can only assume I was seeing the slaughter of the Anurai clan.

Although, technically Alyara was the enemy, the range of emotions that she showed while explaining the events surrounding the Omaticaya were undeniably real. I found I could not deny that her retelling was the whole unequivocal truth; I had seen it in her eyes. I had also witnessed it myself and had few doubts that my Dream hunt showed actual events.

Part of my mind was screaming that I was a soldier with a mission, but considering what I'd heard and seen I chose to ignore it. There was no way I would be party to what amounted to nothing more than Genocide. The Na'vi didn't deserve to be slaughtered. Their lifestyle, while it occasionally involved hostility, was usually peaceful. They were not a greedy people, their whole way of life revolved around Ey'wa who provided all they needed.

Nothing like us humans, our greed taxes the poor while the rich get wealthier, so many people back on Earth live in slums, the streets are filled with waste and disease. The sad thing is we do nothing to fix it, mega corporations like the RDA practically control the governments; we allowed them to expand to become monopolies, and humanity is paying the price.

Worse they weren't happy to just destroy Earth, no, they had to come and start destroying paradise here too. I joined the Marines to serve my country, and did it make a difference? No, and here I am to prove it, a hired killer paid to murder innocents, they may not be human but the Na'vi deserve to live free.

My family has a long history in the Marines going back as far as the First World War. I remember my grandfather telling me stories going back over 20 generations. He showed me archives of things that had occurred in all the major wars, death camps, work camps and worse, until now it's always been just something that happened a couple of centuries ago, it meant nothing to me.

But being here now I can see history repeating itself, the RDA will kill the Na'vi without mercy, some they will keep as slaves to mine Unobtainium. They'll use the resources of this planet until all that's left is a wasteland. I shook my head, I couldn't let that happen, I've been a puppet for too long. Tomorrow I'm going to tell Alyara the full truth of why I'm here, I only hope she doesn't kill me until I help set things right.

Those were my last thoughts as I fell into a disturbing dream...

I see myself and I'm younger, maybe four, I'm looking in a mirror dressed in something of my mothers. I see my father's angry face appear before me and watch horrified as he practically rips the clothes off my small frame and beats me with his belt.

Another dream I'm ten, I'm wearing one of my sisters dresses, I'm caught and beaten again. Fifteen and the same thing happens only I notice my fourteen year old sister was there, she was crying, screaming at dad to leave her big sister alone.

I shake myself awake confused, I don't remember those things ever happening, why the hell did I have dreams like that, I can't get my head around why I can't remember that happening. My father was a good man, a good Marine, the thought of him attacking me makes no sense.

Were those dreams real? Was my growing comfort in this body something to do with my childhood? Had I suppressed my memories of those times? I honestly didn't know. I do know that there are gaps in the memories I have of my childhood. If Jen was here I could ask her but she's back on Earth, thank goodness. I shake my head to clear it. Looking at the next bunk I notice Alyara has already risen.

Still half asleep I get up to take a shower, I strip down and head into the wet room, I nearly trip myself up when I come face to face with Alyara as naked as the day she was born, her lithe frame dripping with water, god she's beautiful, I can't help but stare. I absently wonder if Na'vi bodies are able to blush as I feel my cheeks burning. Alyara seems to look me over too before continuing to wash as though my presence doesn't bother her.

I'm pulled from my thoughts as she speaks _"Good morning, Dreamwalker, are you well rested?"_

I sigh finding myself upset that she's back to calling me Dreamwalker again, _"No I didn't sleep well at all Alyara, and please call me Morgan,"_ At least it's gender neutral I thought, not that that matters here.

She looks at me strangely for a moment, _"How about Marali, or Mara for short? That is what your name translates into,"_

I pondered for a moment, do I really want a female name, I shrugged, it didn't matter, in fact I was strangely pleased that she had suggested it, _"Either is fine,"_ I smiled at her as I began washing.

I noticed today I was much more comfortable in this body, it no longer felt as alien. I realize I should be upset but for some strange reason it doesn't bother me. I wonder if the Dream hunt or last night's dreams are causing my change in acceptance of this body. God, it had only been four days, what the hell will I feel in six months.

Alyara pulls me from my thoughts _"Marali, Marali, Mara are you alright? You seem troubled."_ Her features were full of concern, I wondered why she'd care, I'm an outsider, and she knows nothing about me.

I smiled grateful of her concern _"Just busy thinking. I've got a lot on my mind."_ It was true. It felt like the whole Pandora was weighing down on my shoulders, maybe I should eat that bullet now? I shook my head, killing myself would help no one.

Alyara turned off her shower and moved to begin drying "_What troubles you, Mara?"_

I considered how to respond, I didn't want her angry at me but there's no easy way to tell someone, 'I was sent to help others kill your people,' _"I will talk about it while we eat breakfast, please be patient with me, I need you to understand that things have changed."_Damn right they'd changed, there was no way I could complete my orders now.

She nodded and began braiding the hair around her queue; I absently touched my own hair and realized the braiding had come undone. I Bit my lip _"Could you braid mine? I have no idea how to do it."_

She looked up in surprise _"How can you not know how to braid it? It was braided when I first saw you."_

_"It was braided by someone else."_ I got a sinking feeling her next comments would be awkward, and I was right.

_"You are a human woman, I've seen human women braid their hair, and I do not understand how you cannot know how to do it."_ Her face was awash with confusion.

God, she's beautiful, while I didn't want to tell her the ugly truth, she'd find out soon enough. Biting the bullet I decided to just be honest. _"My human body is male."_

Her expression changes to what I can only describe as stunned, then disbelief, then to my chagrin she begins to laugh. She stops abruptly when she notices I'm not laughing. _"I do not understand why are you female if your human self is male, I only sense a female spirit?"_

I feel like I've just been struck in the face _"F f female spirit?"_ I ask in alarm.

She looks at me, staring into my eyes before nodding. _"Yes, you have a female spirit. Although I can see male aspects, the majority I see is female."_

I sat heavily on one of the benches. I had no idea how to respond to that. I wondered again if those dreams from last night were real, if they were had I suppressed my own nature to be the man my father wanted me to be, the soldier to continue the proud military history of our family. I remember I wanted to be a doctor when I was young, just like my mom. Wait, that's it! I remember, I literally wanted to be just like my mother.

I felt lightheaded, the room was spinning, I was nauseous, not only was my purpose on Pandora a lie, so was the person that I have become, I felt myself pitch forward as the world turned on its side, I started to heave, bile filled my throat before I passed out. I hadn't even heard Alyara calling my name.

-Scene Break-

Omaticaya village earlier…

Drewan checked the riding harness on his Ikran, he'd waiting until the sun was well and truly up before he started getting ready. He wanted to make sure he had proper light to check everything over, while not common, harnesses did break. Fortunately, Ikrans once bonded protected their riders, still he never took chances.

He'd packed food and water for his trip knowing he might be gone longer than a day. Eventually, with his supplies and weapons ready, he mounted his Ikran and took to the skies. His Ikran circled the village using the currents to gain altitude, with a quick mental nudge the Ikran banked and began heading north east.

Flying just above the canopy of the trees Drewan concentrated on looking for signs of his wayward hunter while his Ikran concentrated on flying. About an hour into the trip Drewan saw a shadow suddenly appear over him. He signaled his Ikran to dive into the dense forests. They flew through the trees at breakneck speed, trying desperately to keep ahead of the Taruk that was in pursuit. He muttered to himself wondering how the Olo'eyktan had ever managed to catch such a beast.

Flying through several smaller tree clusters in an effort to lose the beast finally worked, the Taruk eventually decided to give up the chase. Drewan sighed with relief and signaled his Ikran to land and rest, the chase had taken a lot out of them both. The Taruk hunted far and wide but since being bonded to the Olo'eyktan it seemed to linger around the Omaticaya. Drewan pondered this latest experience as his heart rate calmed and stopped pounding in his chest.

So far the Taruk had chased riders but never killed anyone, the Olo'eyktan seemed to think it was just playing a game he called tag. The children play a similar game, but it is very different when the game is being played by a predator with a twenty five metre wingspan, and can swallow a Na'vi warrior in a single bite. Considering it hasn't killed anyone since the Olo'eyktan became its rider can only encourage the idea that it's playing. Still he'd found it an unnerving experience to be chased first hand.

Drewan shook his head and dismounted his Ikran, deciding to wait another hour before risking taking flight again.

-Scene Break-

RDA Outpost two…

Seeing Marali being sick and fainting shook me up, I gathered her in my arms and pulled her under the water to wash away the sick. I couldn't fully understand what had happened, she seemed fine but suddenly seemed to go into shock from my words, truly Marali is a strange one, yet I find myself drawn to her. Ey'wa guided me to find Marali, Ey'wa never guides without reason, I suspect I know why.

After washing her again I manage to dry her, I braid her hair around her queue like she asked, I wasn't sure how to put her into the human clothes so I dressed her in one of the spare sets I carry. By Ey'wa, she's beautiful while asleep, she's beautiful while awake too, but awake she seems in constant turmoil, maybe she is male as she says but I don't sense it.

I carry her to her bed and lay her down, I sit and watch as she sleeps, I sing to her and pray Ey'wa will help calm her spirit.

Tompayä kato, tsawkeyä kato, (The rhythm of rain and sun)

Trrä sì txonä, (Of night and day)

S(ì) ayzìsìtä kato, (The rhythm of the years)

Sì'ekong te'lanä, (And the beat of the hearts)

Te'lanä le-Na'vi (Hearts of the people)

Oeru teya si, (Fills me)

Oeru teya si. (Fills me)

Katot täftxu oel (I weave the rhythm)

Nìean nìrim, (In yellow and blue)

Ayzìsìtä kato, (The rhythm of the years)

'Ìheyu sìreyä, (The spiral of the lives)

'Ìheyu sìreyä, (The spiral of the lives)

Sìreyä le-Na'vi, (Lives of the people)

Oeru teya si, (Fills me)

Oeru teya si. (Fills me)

After a while I decide she will be hungry when she wakes. I head outside to prepare, last night I had stored the meat from my recent hunt, and it would need to be finished today. Some I would smoke to preserve it, the rest I would prepare for our morning meal, Marali had shown me the human food stores. I do not understand why she would eat such things.

The dried fruits and nuts were different and tasted quite nice, but other things were to put it bluntly, disgusting. I needed some items from the forest, picking up my weapons I climbed the fence, once on the other side I swiftly began gathering berries, leaves, vines and fruits. Marali would learn of Na'vi foods today. Hopefully she will enjoy Na'vi food better.

As I worked I considered all that I knew of Marali. Obviously, she is a Dreamwalker sent by the humans, I suspect the humans think the Na'vi won't discover their plans until it is too late, Marali said her human body is male, I blinked as a thought came to me. By Ey'wa, if what I suspect is going on, the humans again prove they know nothing of the Na'vi. I wonder if they fear their Dreamwalkers might fall in love with Na'vi like Jake did with Neytiri.

If so they obviously do not realize Na'vi have no boundaries when it comes to love. Some male warriors will quite happily bond with another male if they find attraction, similarly a woman may chose another woman to bond with, the bonded pair may have other lovers to provide children but they will always be one with their bonded mate. The Na'vi are not as close minded as some humans seem to be.

If all Dreamwalker's are in the opposite physical sex in an effort to prevent them from falling in love, they may find their plans backfire. I suspect Marali isn't the only Dreamwalker here, how many more I could not guess, many will not be like Marali. I feel Ey'wa sent me to help her understand herself, maybe find the inner peace I know she's been searching for. It did not take long to find what I needed, before long I made my way back and began the preparation.

An hour later I heard Marali begin to stir, entering the sleeping hut I found her sitting looking down at the clothes I'd dressed her in with a confused expression. She looked up as I entered an unasked question on her lips. For some strange reason I couldn't help but blurt it all out.

_"I am glad to see you are awake again Marali, I was worried when you collapsed. I'm sorry but I had to wash you again and I wasn't sure how to dress you in human clothes, I have a few spares that I carry just in case so I put you in something I was familiar with. You can just change if you're uncomfortable."_

For some reason I felt really nervous, my insides fluttered like I was filled with a flock of fkio (Tetrapteron).

-Scene Break-

Drewan had spent the last hour recovering from his near miss with the Taruk, while resting he'd fed his Ikran before eating some dried fruits, now it was time to continue his search. He climbed on and in seconds his Ikran broke through the canopy into clear skies.

His Ikran began heading north east again while Drewan scanned what ground he could see. He estimated another hour before he reached the human settlement.

-Scene Break-

RDA Outpost two…

I awoke feeling strange, I remember seeing memories I'd buried long ago, repressed for the sake of my father and my health. It's strange for years I had managed to bury those feelings, yet now ironically since my Dream hunt, Pandora's Box has literally been opened and I have no idea how to close it, for that matter, do I even want to.

I sat up and found my clothes felt weird, looking down I blinked in confusion, I was dressed like Alyara does, as a Na'vi, Surprisingly the clothes felt comfortable. I heard a noise and looked up to see a concerned Alyara walk in. I wanted to ask why I was wearing Na'vi clothes but Alyara beat me to it.

_"I am glad to see you are awake again Mara, I was worried when you collapsed, I'm sorry but I had to wash you again and I wasn't sure how to dress you in human clothes, I have a few spares that I carry just in case so I put you in something I was familiar with. You can just change if you're uncomfortable."_

It came out in a rush, like she was worried I'd be upset, I could have laughed at how nervous she seemed as she stood there waiting for my response.

_"Calm down Aly."_ I grinned, if she could shorten my name so could I.

She looked confused _"Aly?"_

_"Hey, if I'm Mara then it's only fair you're Aly."_

Alyara grinned back at me.

_"As for the clothes they are actually more comfortable than my own, so if you don't mind I'll stay as I am."_

Alyara's smile lit up the room, _"If you feel up to it I've prepared a meal."_ I nodded as she took my hand and led me outside.

Her hand touching mine felt like a circuit breaker had been thrown between us, I swear she could feel it too as her smile seemed to get bigger.

We settled and began to eat, I thought corned beef was good but compared to the meal Alyara had made it was like sawdust being compared to a melon. I'm pretty sure I moaned when I took my first bite of the nikt'chey (food wrap) it contained meat, vegetables, seeds, spices, and fruits, I'm not sure where she got all the ingredients from but they were mouth wateringly good. Alyara told me that food wraps are a traditional meal for the Na'vi, each clan has their own unique combinations. It was a whole lot better than the food I'd been eating up until now.

After we'd eaten I decided I needed to come clean about my mission here, there was no sense in putting it off. I only hoped she'd still like me after my confession.

_"Aly, about why I'm here, before I tell you what's happening I need you to know, meeting you, undergoing the Dream hunt has changed everything."_

She nodded, _"I've already figure you were here to invade our home again."_

I stared at her dumbstruck, shaking my head, I continued, _"You're right, I was sent her to take back the Hell's gate site so the RDA could continue to mine. However, I was led to believe your people had attacked the RDA unprovoked."_

_"That's a lie!"_ she stood up, her face like thunder _"They attacked us, we were happy to share." _

I held up my hands to calm her, _"I know that now, I suspected as much but as that news was only rumor back home; I couldn't be sure until I met you. Now I realize the RDA were using me and others to exterminate the Na'vi."_ I could see her anger growing.

_"Hey, hey Aly, I'm not going to hurt the Na'vi, I don't agree with them,"_ her expression softened.

She looked at me with curiosity, _"So what are you going to do now?"_

_"The RDA have dropped a few hundred Avatar drivers here, their primary mission is to take back Hell's gate and create a safe zone for more forces. Their secondary mission is to take back any RDA outposts or destroy them. I'm going to help you stop them."_

Alyara flung herself at me, her lips found mine and my eyes widened; of all the reactions I'd expected this wasn't even on the list. Not that I was complaining, it's just that it just came as a complete shock. After a minute or two she sat back seemingly flustered, I wasn't sure, blue really doesn't convey blushing very well.

_"Sorry, it's just I knew when Ey'wa guided me to follow you, I knew you were special. Ey'wa has shown repeatedly that there is something important for you to do and that I was to help you."_

I looked at her stunned. I don't think I'm special, before I could ponder further Alyara continued.

_"Mara, about before, in the washing room, we need to talk about it, I can sense you're trying to ignore the problem, but that will only make it worse. I'm worried, ignoring it will hurt you, I've only known you a short time but I want to know you more. I believe Ey'wa sent me to you to help you to become all you need to be for yourself and others."_

I sighed in resignation, she was right I have been ignoring the problem, mainly because I really don't understand it, I'm confused as hell. The Dream hunt I could cope with, it was my own childhood memories that are confusing me, hearing Alyara telling me I have a female spirit, coupled with my dreams last night unlocked a slew of memories I had locked away deep in my subconscious.

From an early age I found myself drawn to girls, the way they dressed the things they played. I was jealous that I couldn't join in their games. The first time I was caught dressed in my mother's clothes I was caught by my mother, she just laughed and tried to explain why boys don't dress like girls. Despite that I found myself dressing in secret whenever I could.

The times my father caught me were when he was on leave, he was ashamed that his son was a sissy. It's amazing people have known about gender identity disorders for centuries, but some people still refuse to accept it's a real medical problem. Roughnecks are the most intolerant group, especially when family is involved.

From the age of ten I'd join my sister playing dress up and having tea parties, that is except for the times dad would suddenly get leave and catch me. I remember clearly my sister crying on several occasions that dad caught me. I locked who I was away; I stopped talking to my sister except for basic pleasantries. I think I remember my sister screaming at dad on day about killing her sister.

I shook my head, locking away who I am, who I needed to be, it's probably what made me a good Marine and kept me alive. For years I threw myself into being the best Marine I could be, on the battlefield I was an emotionless killer. Off the battlefield I was just as emotionless, throwing myself into training. My life was the corps, the corps was my life.

Looking back I can see clearly that I was hollow, my life meaningless, I took stupid risks, even taking this mission was a stupid risk. Now I'm wondering if I was trying to get myself killed, maybe subconsciously I was trying to end my emotionless pain. I look up and see Alyara watching me, concern clearly visible in her features.

I smile, tears drip from my chin as I realize the RDA has given me an opportunity to be myself, even if I'm a three metre tall alien, I'm female, maybe my life's not over, maybe, just maybe, it's just begun. Looking into Alyara's eyes I admit, things are going to be different, maybe confused for a while, but if Alyara is with me, I might just be alright.

Alyara smiles brightly, as if she can sense my feelings, _"you have found yourself?"_

I nod and return her smile _"Yes, I am Marali."_ As frightening as my confession is, it's a truth I can longer fight. It feels like a weight I hadn't realized I was carrying has been removed.

Alyara's smile gets even brighter as she hugs me, eventually we disengage._"Come, we should gather something's to eat, I will begin teach you to our ways to hunt."_

I nodded, _"Let me just get my weapons,"_

She looked at me and nodded, _"Okay, but I will be teaching you to hunt with a bow,"_

I had hoped to use my AVR M30 but nodded, I'd bring the M30 for protection anyway. I quickly strapped on my sidearm and picked up the M30, I double checked they were loaded and the safety was on with both. I followed Alyara over the fence and into the jungle.

Alyara started collecting different roots and fruits, telling me what she was collecting and its uses. I kept watch for predators, Pandora was full of them and I didn't want to get caught off guard. It amazed me to realize this was where Alyara had gathered breakfast earlier. As we moved through the jungle I was awed by Alyara's knowledge of the plants surrounding us.

Eventually we came to a clearing where several Yerik (hexapede) were grazing, I slung my M30 over my shoulder quietly as I could, Alyara began to teach me how to use a bow the way her people do, she makes it look so easy and laughs lightly at my pathetic attempts to hold the correct stance and draw an arrow. Eventually I get my stance right and carefully take aim.

I'm fascinated as Alyara quietly sings while I prepare to take my shot, releasing my arrow I watch with baited breath as it flows through the air, my arrow is on target and the Yerik goes down. We run to it and I see my shot wasn't quite fatal, I'm enthralled as Alyara prays to Ey'wa and thanks the Yerik for the gifts its death will bring, she quickly ends its pain.

She stands up and looks down at the Yerik, "You did well Marali, remember to aim a little more towards the chest," She smiles at me and I can't help but hope I get to see her smiles for a long time to come.

Alyara has just turned to begin to prepare the dead animal to be moved when I see a shadow engulf us, without think I push Alyara out the way and roll myself just in time to avoid being skewered by a spear, as I roll to my feet I turn to find a Na'vi male jumping off a Banshee and pulling a knife. Before he can attack I hear Alyara.

_"No, Drewan, she's a friend."_ Drewan, I remember him, he was leading Alyara's hunting party.

Alyara's in front of me in a heartbeat, Drewan looks torn.

_"Alyara, you were to observe only, not make friends with the enemy, you know how dangerous the humans and Dreamwalkers are."_ He takes a step forward.

Alyara holds her ground, "_Ey'wa wanted me to help Marali, there were several signs, Drewan."_

Drewan snorted, _"Alyara I have always in the past trusted your instincts with Ey'wa, but this is a Dreamwalker, probably sent by the humans to k…."_ Drewan trailed of as a Thanator roared as it leaped into the clearing near Drewan.

My mouth hung open, I wasn't sure how but it was the same Thanator from my Dream hunt, how this was possible I didn't know, yet here it was in flesh and blood looking ready to pounce on Drewan any second. I ran round Alyara and sprinted over to stand in front of Drewan. I stare at the Thanator my arms open, waiting for death.

The Thanator stares back, I refused to flinch as it roared again, I felt Alyara trying to pull me away to safety, I stubbornly refused to budge, several tense minutes went by as we both stared at each other, eventually the Thanator seemed to nod, it turned to its side and looked over its massive shoulder, the scene so reminiscent of my Dream hunt I nearly laughed, reaching for my queue. I realized with a smile that Alyara had braided it for me.

I reached up for the Thanator's queue and gently held them together. I stumbled slightly as the intensity of the connection hits me, I felt the Thanator's memories more than saw them, I knew the Thanator had felt mine too. I could feel his muscles flexing as he stood waiting patiently. Bakteyo, his name is Bakteyo, I could sense he was pleased with the name I'd come up with.

I climbed up behind his powerful shoulders; I turned to look at Alyara offering my hand. She stared for a moment before turning her head to Drewan.

_"Drewan, will you take our kill back to the human settlement, we'll be there shortly to explain everything. After seeing a Palulukan come to protect Marali, do you still doubt Ey'wa's will? If I am not mistaken it is the same one from her Dream hunt."_ With that Alyara accepted my hand up.

Drewan looked stunned, _"You performed the rite of passage?"_

Alyara looked over to Drewan with a smile, _"No, Ey'wa did, had I not seen it with my own eyes I would have found it hard to believe, we will join you shortly at the settlement."_

Drewan nodded still in shock as Bakteyo began to run north.

-End Chapter 4-


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: What was lost and what is found.

Speech in Na'vi _"Italics"_  
Speech in English "English."

Authors note: my thanks to Tibricel Tibby for posting a comment, I was starting to regret posting this story after getting no feedback. Anyway here's Chapter 5.

Riding Bakteyo could only be described as exhilarating. In reality it was much more. Feeling his muscles as if they are my own is an extremely strange feeling, but nowhere near as strange as I would have thought. I lost track of which direction we were travelling at first, but we were moving at a fast pace. The ride felt smooth even though Bakteyo was bounding along.

Approximately half an hour later, we were deep into unknown territory. All of the territory was unknown to me, but not even Alyara could tell me where we were at. However, she used the position of the sun and Polyphemus to determine that we were heading northwest. After an hour of bounding through the tropical forest, Bakteyo began to slow. Through the flora, I caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a tree with white branches.

Alyara gasped and whispered in my ear.

"_It is an Ultral Aymokriyä or as humans call them a_ Tree of Voices, _the one near the Omaticaya was destroyed, a new one has begun to grow there but it will take many years to reach its full growth."_

Alyara peered over my shoulder, her breath caressing my cheek _"I don't understand though, this isn't a tree used by the Omaticaya, in fact no one has ever mentioned a tree of voices in this area."_

As we entered the grove it was clear that Alyara was right, though I'd never seen one for real, I had read about them in notes Doctor Augustine wrote before the uprising. I had no idea why we were here. Bakteyo stopped about one metre from the tree, it was clear we were to dismount, I helped Alyara down before breaking the bond with Bakteyo and dismounting myself.

I watched as Alyara reverently touched the branches, "Come sit, Ey'wa wants you hear to hear the ancestors residing here."

I felt a nervous fluttering in my stomach. I wasn't sure, but suspected that what was to happen here was both important and maybe even essential to Pandora. I'm not a religious person, I really don't believe in god, but I couldn't help the feeling that this place is sacred, almost holy. If I had hairs on the back of my neck I'm pretty sure they'd be standing, it was unnerving. I am afraid too, I suspect my world view is about to change.

I sit down and watch as Alyara takes her queue and allows it to wrap around the tree's branches, I copy her and let my queue attach to the branch. My eyes go  
wide, I can hear Na'vi singing and praying. No wait! Not just Na'vi but the ancestors of Anurai clan itself, I feel overwhelmed at the feelings I was getting. I can feel tears rolling down my cheeks, my emotions are in turmoil.

I can see Alyara is overwhelmed too, I'm not sure how long we sit listening to the Anurai as their spirits relay their history through songs and stories. I can sense that when I bonded to Bakteyo the Anurai ancestors recognized and accepted me as a member of the Anurai clan. I can only feel humbled as I sit and listen, the ancestors want me to restore the balance.

I can also sense that the ancestors want me to find several Anurai clan artifacts including a bow, a spear and armor for myself and Bakteyo. Alyara was right there with me, tears streaming from her eyes as the Anurai ancestors sing to us, they tell us of their Hometree located to the northwest and I hear them telling Alyara that the Omaticaya is welcome to live there, their only request is that they are not forgotten.

It feels like we are here for several hours but in reality it's probably only been about an hour or two. The sheer amount of information given is immense yet I know there is more. Eventually, we get a sense that the ancestors have finished telling us what we need to know. I know I will be back here, there is too much more to learn, but for now we must begin to organize. The Omaticaya need to know of the Anurai ancestor's offer of their Hometree, and we need to plan what to do about the RDA.

I disconnect my queue and begin to stand, only to fall back down, looking at Alyara I can see she's struggling too. Guess sitting for a few hours coupled with an information overload will do that. Grinning, we help each other up and walk over to Bakteyo. I still can't get over being bonded to one of Pandora's most deadly predators. I mean how more badass can you get.

I rub my hand affectionately over Bakteyo's snout, he makes a sound I can only describe as pleased. I link our queues and mount, before helping Alyara up.

_"Aly, did I just dream all of that?"_

_"No Mara, the ancestor's of the Anurai really did accept you into their clan, I got the sense that you, or more importantly we, are to help keep their history alive. What I don't understand is how that can be the tree of voices for the Anurai, their homeland is much further to the northwest."_

_"Yeah I got that impression too. I would have thought being an Avatar driver that they would hate me. As for the tree could it be that all the trees are interconnected and that's the reason we could hear them here?"_

_"Na'vi are not a hateful people Mara, and after everything that's happened do you really want to go back to your human body? As for the tree you might be right, the Tsahìk might know."_

I shuddered "_No, I'm not sure I could ever return to being male, the problem is my human body only has enough resources for six months."_ I was still confused about many things but being female wasn't one of them.

_"There is a way for you to become Na'vi more permanently."_ The hopeful tone of her voice was unmistakable.

I was seriously considering that option. However, I was nowhere near ready to take a more permanent step. "I will think about it, for now we better get back to your friend, I'm sure he'll think we aren't returning if we are much longer." It was going to be tough enough to convince Drewan of my change of allegiance as it is.

_"You are right, Mara."_

As Bakteyo began heading back towards the outpost I considered all I'd learnt from my connection to the Anurai, I was a little awed by the experience. I still wasn't convinced of a god like being, but the Na'vi definitely were more connected to their world than humans are. Maybe Ey'wa isn't so much a god as a manifestation of the Na'vi's combined consciousness. Like a hive mind, only worldwide.

The fact that on some level their ancestors still exist is amazing; add the clarity of communication available with those ancestors, and it becomes mind boggling. The songs, while I don't remember them all, were clear enough for me to build a picture of who they were. I feel immense loss at knowing all but two are gone. Well three if I include myself.

Maybe there are others from the drops who would consider joining the Anurai, maybe the balance can be restored by creating a new Anurai clan of those who feel as I do. Then again there are plenty who won't see things as I do. Still it's worth considering, making sure of loyalties will be difficult, but I'm sure Bakteyo can help there.

As we travel back towards the RDA outpost I look up in time to see a pod being dropped somewhere to the east of our position. Bakteyo hears my thoughts and begins running in the direction I'd seen it coming down.

Half an hour later we reach the Omaticaya's tree of souls only to pull up short at the sight that lay before us.

-Scene break-

Two hours earlier...

Private Ferdinand Magellan shook his head as he made his way from the galley. He had joined the RDA straight out of school. There hadn't been much choice of career on Earth. His family, while reasonably well off, weren't able to cover the cost of further education. He spent over a year training, to eventually take up a position maintaining security at RDA sites across the globe.

He hoped to eventually gain access to information that might help expose the RDA to the world, but it was a long shot. He, along with others in Anonymous, hoped to one day bring about a revolution, rid the world of mega corporations and maybe, begin to repair the damage they had caused to the Ecosystem. It was a monumental task, but it had to begin somewhere.

Then out of the blue, he received orders to report to RDA headquarters. Initially, he worried himself into a panic wondering if they had discovered his activities in Anonymous. When he arrived, he expected to be confronted and dismissed, possibly even arrested. Never, in a million years, did he expect to be assigned to Pandora. Nor had he expected to be told he'd be there as an Avatar driver.

The sudden assignment stunk to high heaven. There was no way he would survive Pandora. Firstly, he hadn't been trained anywhere near enough to be of any real use. Secondly, he'd never expressed an interest in off world assignments. He suspected he was being used as cannon fodder, meat for the grinder, maybe even sent to be silenced before he could become a threat. Either way, he felt fairly certain that he would never make it off Pandora alive.

Ferdinand was no combat trained professional, but even he could see that the RDA's plan to drop him, along with a few hundred others, into the middle of Pandora was a disaster waiting to happen. Worse, their Avatars were supposed to be of the opposite sex. His contract was for ten years, there was no way to break the contract without facing huge financial repercussions. There was no chance either he or his family could survive financial destitution.

During the briefing, he along with others some of whom were combat seasoned men and women were finally told what their mission entailed. They were to find a way to take back Hell's gate. The mission was sheer lunacy, well maybe not to those with years of combat experience and brass balls the size of small moons. The briefing was apparently the third briefing that had been given.

Already the first two groups had been dropped. He couldn't help but wonder how many of them were still alive. He shuddered, he really didn't want to go through with this mission, if for no other reason than he wasn't a soldier, he wasn't trained to kill people.

As he entered the flight deck he could see Colonel Hackworth giving Johnson and Parker last minute instructions, he idly wondered what was about as he watched them head off to locate their coffins…erm pods he amended mentally. God this mission sucked.

"Magellan, get your whiny ass in gear," barked Hackworth with a sneer, "You're in pod 64 on Valkyrie three, get yourself stowed away and in your pod. We don't have all day, assholes and elbows, Private!"

"Sir, yes sir." He quickly made his way to Valkyrie three, not wanting to face the Colonel's wrath any more than he already had.

Colonel Hackworth had made his opinions of him crystal clear, from the moment he'd been woken from Cryo; he'd been on his ass. His attitude to him told he might have some idea that he wasn't a follower of the party line. However, he couldn't be sure as no one had actually brought up question of his allegiance.

As he entered his pod and found his breath hitch. He had been told his Avatar was female but he hadn't expected to see a blue version of his mother from her youth. No, not his mother but maybe what his sister would have looked like had she lived long enough. He felt a tear roll down his face as he remembered how much it hurt to lose his sister. Even worse, his Avatar body did not look at all like the adult female version of himself. She appeared to be sixteen, if that.

He was five when his mother gave birth to his sister Elise. She was beautiful, so full of life. She was only five she became ill from a rare strain of Meningitis. Unfortunately, the doctors weren't able to save her, he and his parents were devastated. Looking at his Avatar he could see she would have become very beautiful as she grew up. He considered asking why his Avatar looked like his kid sister but really didn't want to piss off Hackworth; the guy was a complete ass and would probably blame him for it.

Sighing he decided to just ignore the problem and get ready. Stripping down he climbed into his link unit. He felt like the condemned as he lay there waiting for the Valkyrie to launch, he absently wondered how the others from his briefing were coping. Were they as scared as he was? He felt a jolt as the Valkyrie lifts off, seconds later he felt a surge as the shuttle left the ship. He lost track of time as he waited for his pod to be dropped.

Suddenly he it was like he'd been shot out of a gun, the sensation was unnerving as he realized his pod was hurtling downwards. Seconds later he was relieved to feel a jolt as the parachute of his pod had deployed. Those few seconds had increased his anxiety tenfold. He still felt sick. He thought if he was lucky he'd throw up and drown in his own vomit.

He couldn't help but imagine the horrible ways he might die on Pandora. He had read enough about the plants and animals of Pandora to know he was greatly outmatched, no amount of bullets would keep him alive long enough to complete the mission. Just as he felt his pod touch dirt he got a sensation of being pulled from his own head.

He opened his eyes to find everything blurry he felt his panic rising, his vision cleared, and he found himself trapped. He raised his arms, blue arms, god everything felt weird. Calming himself he began to look around, He found himself in the Amnio tank. Looking down he could see he was in his Avatar. He was about to begin checking to see if all his limbs were working when he froze.

Suddenly everything started going haywire. His vision was blurred again, his thoughts became fuzzy. Distantly he could hear alarms going off, he felt panicked again. The Amnio tank hadn't opened, he could just about make out tendrils of something touching the glass. The pressure increased and he could see cracks appearing as the tendrils started pushing through the glass.

He started trying to kick the hatch open, desperate to escape whatever this plant was, his efforts were fruitless. The tank was now full of tendrils, before long he noticed them against his skin, he didn't feel them burrowing in but he knew they were. Within a minute he found he was covered from head to toe. Alarms around his link chamber were going wild.

His brain felt like it was being sucked back and forth through a tube, he felt sick. Any second now his human body would die from hypoxia, shortly followed by his Avatar when the connection to his brain was severed. God he felt terrified, he couldn't even escape from his pod and he was going to die. He knew this mission was to be his death sentence, he just didn't expect it to be this quick.

He felt something change, the back and forth of his mind slowed then stopped, he could hear a constant tone from his link chamber, this is it he thought, I'm about to die. He found himself crying hysterically, he couldn't regain control. God, he was only nineteen, well excluding six years of Cryo. He could have almost laughed at that if it hadn't been his last conscious thought.

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His eyes fluttered open. He could hear the constant tone indicating his human body was dead. He shook his head wondering how he was still alive, maybe it's all a dream he absently wondered. He could hear noises coming from outside his pod. He knew it was too good to be true, his pod had been discovered and now he'd die. Wait, wasn't he already dead.

The noise was getting louder, he felt the pod roll. Suddenly the hatch opened, despite his fear he quickly crawled out and crashed onto the ground in a heap. He began weeping in relief at being out of his coffin. He hadn't even noticed the two people around him. He tensed as someone gathered him up and began rocking him gently while singing.

He looked up through his tears to find a Na'vi woman standing nearby. Looking around he found another holding him gently, she was the one singing. Her voice was soothing to his ears. He felt panicked as he heard the woman standing speak.

"_Aly, I'm gonna check the pods link unit, keep her calm_."

"No! Please I'll die if you open the pod."

She just looked at me like my mother used to "Kid, opening the pod won't kill you, I just need to make sure your human body is alive."

"How do you know?" He felt his panic rise from her words, if his human body was dead, how was he alive in his Avatar?

"Kid, Alyara informs me the tree your pod landed near is called a tree of souls; your pod is covered with roots from the tree. I just want to make sure there are no breaches in the unit's seals. I promise we won't hurt you." He calmed slightly, he was already shaken from his experiences.

He watched as she pressed the correct combination to open the pod, he wondered how she knew how to open the pod. She was dressed as a Na'vi but spoke perfect English, could she be an Avatar driver too. As the hatch opened he could hear that constant tone again and shuddered. The woman crawled in the pod.

A few minutes later she came back out, her face set with a grim expression. She looked at Alyara and shook her head. He felt his stomach knot, his nausea rising. He pulled away from Alyara and ran to the hatch, not even aware of his nakedness. He crawled in and frantically checked the readouts.

"NO! It can't be true, I'm alive. Maybe the readout is wrong." He found himself dissolving into tears. How could he be alive if his human body was dead?

He felt himself being gently pulled from the hatch, he didn't fight, he just hadn't any strength left in him. He found himself being held tightly by Alyara, she was singing to him again. In between bouts of singing he could hear them talking.

"_Is this what happened to_ Jake?"

"_Yes, but the Olo'eyktan chose to become one of the people_."

_"Why would this have happened?_"

_"I do not know but it is obviously Ey'wa's will, maybe this young one would know, maybe something about her is different. Ey'wa would not have done this without reason. "_

The other woman looked skeptical "Hey kid, what your name?"

He looked up through his tears "Private Ferdinand Magellan."

The woman nodded "How old are you?"

"Nineteen," he saw no reason to lie.

Alyara him pulled away slightly to look at him before turning to other woman. _"Marali, why are they sending children?"_

Marali pondered _"Maybe it's not intentional. It could be that something went wrong with her development. The _technicians_ may have kept it from the higher ups so they don't have the _Colonel_ on their ass over it. I doubt it was intentional."_

"_Does she have any clothes?"_

Marali looked at him, guilt written on her face "Sorry kid, there should be some in storage." Ferdinand watched as Marali opened the hatch where his gear was stowed.

She pulled out his personal kit bag then grabbed the one for his Avatar. Ferdinand watched her start pulling out clothes the techs had packed for his Avatar and holding them up.

"_Her size was definitely unplanned_." Marali shook her head.

_"Why do you say that?"_ Alyara looked confused at how Marali could know that with such certainty.

_"These clothes are for someone my size,_ _/em_Ferdinand_em_ _is much too small for most of this, the underwear might fit but the top and_ trousers _will swamp her frame._"

Alyara looked at Ferdinand briefly before looking back at Marali _"It'll have to do for now, I can either alter it back in the human village or something of mine might be made to fit."_

Marali nodded and brought over the clothes, Alyara watched as Marali helped Ferdinand to dress. Marali was right the top swamped her small frame and the trousers were useless.

"Ferdinand, do you understand what has happened?" Marali asked softly.

Ferdinand looked at them both with tears in his eyes "I'm dead," his tone was flat and lifeless. Alyara looked shocked at Ferdinand's declaration.

"No, you're not dead, your life has taken a drastic change, but you're not dead. The question is, do you intend to try to continue your mission?" Marali gazed at Ferdinand with concern.

Ferdinand looked at Marali sharply "I never wanted this stupid mission in the first place. I knew this mission would lead to my death. The RDA probably had the techs sabotage the Amnio process on purpose."

"What makes you think that?"

"I had a feeling they had found out I was a member of Anonymous, I hadn't even finished basic training as a security guard, I was definitely trained nowhere near enough as a soldier for a mission to Pandora."

"Then why did you accept?"

"I was only a year into a ten year contract, if I breached contract they would have filed a lawsuit against me. Neither my family or I could survive financial ruin; it was either this or cause the death of my parents."

Marali looked sick, Alyara looked at both confused, while well versed in English she didn't the intricacies and knew very little of human society.

"So in effect you were railroaded into service? Do you intend to try to complete your mission?"

"Honestly, no. I just wanted to survive long enough to go home, I guess that will never happen now. Are you going to kill me as a traitor?"

"Why would we kill you?" Alyara looked confusedly at Ferdinand.

"Marali is like me, I wasn't sure before but you have eyebrows and four fingers on each hand."

"You're right Ferdinand, I am an Avatar driver. I was in the first drop, things have changed though. The RDA intend to wipe out the Na'vi, I'm not a murderer. I decided to help the Na'vi stop the RDA, how about you? Technically you are a Na'vi now, there's no way to make you human again."

Ferdinand looked at them both nervously; tears threatened to spill from his eyes "I don't know. Everything's changed, my whole life has changed. I can't go home ever again, but I don't know if I can live like this." He moved his hands indicating her body.

"Alyara looked at Ferdinand and smiled sadly "You could come with us, we'll look after you. It'll give you time to decide what you want to do."

"What about," she moved her arms to indicate her human body.

Marali looked at Ferdinand with compassion "I'll recover your human body from the pod; we can at least bury it properly. Maybe you can consider it an end to Ferdinand's life but the beginning of your new life."

"What will I call myself?" Ferdinand fidgeted uncomfortably.

Alyara looked deep in thought while Marali started recovering Ferdinand's human body. "Is there a name you like?"

"I could use my sister's name, Elise?"

Alyara considered the name before responding "How about _Ney`ite_? It's a translation of Elise. Or you could choose _Eyrina_ which is a translation of Ferdinand?"

Ferdinand sat considering the names for several minutes before nodding "I like _Eyrina_, it has a nice ring to it."

"You realize as a Na'vi you are female for life? Many in the village don't speak English."

Eyrina nodded, while still uncomfortable she seemed to relax slightly, she watched as Marali gently wrapped her male human body in a blanket from the pod before carefully carrying it from the pod. She surprised Eyrina when she gently kissed her human body's forehead, then lay it down nearby.

"_Aly, is there a special place you bury the dead?"_

_"Not really, but we try to bury our dead away from our homes and rivers."_

Marali nodded _"We'll have to walk back, I'm not sure Bakteyo can carry us all."_

Eyrina looked at both women, her expression full of concern. _"Someone else is here?" _she looked around wildly.

Mara grinned _"Not exactly, Eyrina, try to keep calm. Bakteyo won't hurt you but you might find him a little frightening."_

Eyrina didn't look convinced.

"_Bakteyo,_" Marali looked at Eyrina, _"Remember keep calm, ok?_"

Eyrina nodded nervously, as the adult Thanator walked from the forest Eyrina let out a squeak and practically teleported behind Alyara. Alyara grinned at Marali, both found her reaction funny, but managed not to laugh.

"_Eyrina, come. This is Bakteyo, he will not harm you, look,"_ Marali began making a fuss of Bakteyo who strangely sounded as though he was purring.

Eyrina cautiously stepped around Alyara and approached Bakteyo, as she got closer the Thanator lay down. Tentatively Eyrina reached out her hand, Bakteyo stayed perfectly still so not to startle what it perceived as a child. Eyrina's hand gently touched the Thanator's massive head. A touch became a pat and Eyrina's confidence grew until she was rubbing his snout.

Bakteyo for his part was happy to bask in Eyrina's attention, despite being one of the most feared predators of Pandora. His bond with Marali tempered his killer instinct. Na'vi were for the most part safe from bonded predators, they were still fierce hunters but turned their attentions to other creatures.

_"Eyrina, grab your gear, I'll carry_ Ferdinand, _you and Alyara can ride Bakteyo."_

Eyrina nodded; she avoided the body as she grabbed her kit bag of personal belongings, she hadn't brought much but there were several photos and small mementos. She ignored the Avatar kit bag but collected her data pad; she figured it might be useful later on.

Marali bonded with Bakteyo briefly letting the Thanator know what was happening. After breaking the bond Alyara climbed on Bakteyo then helped Eyrina up. Marali gently picked up Ferdinand's body and the group set off towards the RDA outpost. As they walked Marali decided to learn more about her companions, she hadn't really had chance to learn much about Alyara.

"_Aly, tell me about yourself."_

_"There is not much to tell, I am the second hunter in Drewan's hunting party. I was fifteen when the humans attacked; I was too young to join the battle. When Hometree was destroyed we moved to the tree of souls. Like other children we were looked after while the adults fought. After the humans were sent away our clan moved west where we set up a village."_

Alyara smiled _"I like flying with my Ikran, Mi`niri. As you know I like my clan enjoy singing. I enjoy good food and dancing."_

Marali smiled back at her _"What about love? Are you bonded? Sorry I shouldn't ask,"_ she looked away embarrassed.

_"It's okay Marali. No, I'm not bonded. However I do have my eye on someone, "_ Alyara grinned.

Marali felt her spirits fall _"Oh."_

Alyara continued "_Yes, I have my eye on someone but I'd like to learn more about her,"_ she emphasized the last word as she smiled at Marali.

Marali felt her spirits lift _"Is this person close?"_

Alyara grinned again "_Oh yes, very close. She's a very interesting person, I don't know her well but I'm hoping to."_

Marali felt her cheeks burn _"I'm sure she wants to know you better too."_

Alyara looked thoughtful _"Maybe we should discuss this later; I think Eyrina should tell us about herself."_

Eyrina looked uncomfortable at suddenly being the centre of attention "Err well, I was born and raised in the United Kingdom, my parents are Emilio and Emily, I had a sister but she died when I was ten. My mother is a nurse; my father is a school headmaster."

_"_My parents were not rich but we made do with what we had. I was lucky, some of my relatives were much worse off. I saw how they were forced to live in the slums, several actually died from malnutrition and disease. That's when I joined Anonymous, I thought maybe I could one day make things better._"_

"Instead, it got me a one way ticket here._"_ Eyrina slumped slightly.

_"Hey, maybe it's not ideal, but you're still alive. You can make a new life for yourself."_ Marali shook her head.

_"I look like I'm sixteen for god's sake!"_

_"That's true, but you're going to have to learn how to live this new life, being younger will be a good thing."_

Eyrina looked doubtful.

_"Think about it this way, if you were older you'd be set in your ways. Adapting to your new life would be harder, trust me, it's going to be much harder for me._"

Eyrina smirked "_Yeah, I forgot you're an old woman now."_

_"Hey! Who are you calling an old woman? I'll have you know I'm only thirty five."_ Marali stuck her tongue out causing Eyrina to giggle before slapped a hand over her mouth.

She looked at Marali in horror _"I did not just giggle."_

Marali grinned _"I'm afraid you did kiddo."_ Eyrina slapped a hand over her face and groaned.

The group heard a screech and looked up to see Drewan's Ikran descending. His Ikran landed several feet away.

Marali smiled _"Sorry Drewan, we got side tracked."_

Drewan looked over the group _"So I can see. I was getting concerned, so thought I'd see if I could spot you in case you needed help."_

Alyara looked at Drewan then nodded to herself. _"Actually, do you think you could take Eyrina back on your Ikran? We've had to take getting back slow because Bakteyo can't carry us all."_

Drewan looked at the girl strangely but nodded _"Anything to finally get your story. Come over here Eyrina, I'll introduce you to Swizav."_

Eyrina looked at Alyara with indecision in her expression.

_"It'll be okay, Drewan will look after you. We won't be long."_

_"Alyara's right Eyrina, though I haven't properly been introduced to Drewan, I know he'll look after you. "_

Eyrina nodded, but felt her nervousness increase as she took a step towards to Drewan, his smile helped ease her worries.

_"Come meet Swizav, don't look directly in his eyes though, "_ he affectionately stroked the Banshee's cheek.

Nodding Eyrina approached cautiously, they watched as she cautiously began petting the Ikran, while her attention was taken Marali looked at Drewan.

_"Drewan, before you go can you lend me a hand I can't get on Bakteyo with my load, I need you to pass him to me."_

Drewan regarded the body with confusion but nodded and gently accepted Ferdinand's body, when Marali was settled he carefully handed her the body and stepped back.

Drewan made his way over to Eyrina, _"You two become friends yet?"_

Eyrina grinned "_Swizav is nice, will I ever be able to bond with a_ Banshee?"

Drewan smiled _"We call them Ikran, more importantly though I'm sure when you grow a bit and have learned to hunt you will be able to bond with an Ikran."_

Alyara and Marali watched as Drewan helped Eyrina climb on to Swizav, he then climbed on himself and took to the air. They both shook their heads and laughed as they heard Eyrina's whoops for joy. Bakteyo swiftly began running towards the RDA outpost.

-End Chapter 5-


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